The poets of pastoral and landscape often enjoy drinking wine, appearing carefree and self-content, which is a kind of lifestyle. This is why drinking is closely related to reclusion.
Tao Yuanming's drinking has less indignation and more tranquility due to the era he lived in - Eastern Jin Dynasty, when social customs had changed. Lu Xun once said in his article "The Wei-Jin Style and the Relationship between Literature, Medicine, and Wine": "Social thoughts were much calmer at that time, with Buddhist ideas permeating everywhere. By the end of the Jin Dynasty, people had become accustomed to chaos and usurpations, so literature became more peaceful. Tao Qian was a representative of this peace. His attitude towards life was casual: drinking wine, begging for food, discussing or writing articles when happy, without any grudges." "In the 'Collected Works of Tao', there is an article called 'Narrating Wine', which talks about contemporary politics. From this, we can see that he did not forget or become indifferent to worldly affairs. However, his attitude was more natural than Ji Kang and Ruan Ji, thus not drawing much attention. Another reason, as mentioned before, is habit. Because the custom of drinking wine continued from generation to generation, people no longer found it strange. Moreover, the eras of Han, Wei, and Jin were not far apart, but underwent many changes. Since people had seen these changes, they were not greatly moved. Therefore, it is natural that Tao Qian was more peaceful than Kong Rong and Ji Kang." It can be seen that Tao Yuanming's "peace" was a manifestation of pain after deep contemplation. His drinking became a way of life, and he still had a high enthusiasm for life, society, and humanity. "Whether it is the sigh of life or the sorrow of politics, it all finds rest in the simple love of nature and rural life." (Li Zehou, "The Journey of Beauty").
To be continued, sourced from the Garden of Wine.