Wen Xu was a noted monk who performedSujiang(discourses to common people) in the Tang Dynasty (618-836). He was living in the reign from Changqing to Dahe (821-836) and was good at singingBianwen(transformed versions of Buddhist scripture stories).
According to some historical records, his singing was graceful, fluent and moving, and easy to understand. Therefore, he was loved by many audiences. The temple he once lived in was called Monk Teaching School because it always attracted crowds of listeners. What's more, many ordinary people tried to imitate his singing, thus greatly promoting hisSujiangskills. In 826, Emperor Jingzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) even went to the Xingfu Temple in person to appreciate Wen Xu's performance. He once went to the palace to stageSujiangperformance during the Dahe reign and later he was exiled to remote areas for committing a crime.
Wen Xu broke away from restrictions of sutra and assimilated essence from folk arts, thus helping popularizeSujiangart among the ordinary people in the late Tang Dynasty. Melodies created by him and his singing skills laid the foundation for the development ofShuochang(storytelling that combines singing and narration) arts.
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