Flower Across Time and Media: Sentiment Analysis of Tang Song Poetry and Visual Correspondence

TL;DR

This paper uses BERT-based sentiment analysis to explore the correlation between emotional themes in Tang and Song dynasty poetry and their visual representations in contemporary art and artifacts.

Contribution

It introduces a novel computational approach to link literary sentiment shifts with visual culture changes across two historical Chinese dynasties.

Findings

Detected measurable emotional shifts in floral imagery between Tang and Song periods.

Validated correlations between poetic sentiment and visual motifs in art and textiles.

Uncovered previously unrecognized links between literary and visual cultural expressions.

Abstract

The Tang (618 to 907) and Song (960 to 1279) dynasties witnessed an extraordinary flourishing of Chinese cultural expression, where floral motifs served as a dynamic medium for both poetic sentiment and artistic design. While previous scholarship has examined these domains independently, the systematic correlation between evolving literary emotions and visual culture remains underexplored. This study addresses that gap by employing BERT-based sentiment analysis to quantify emotional patterns in floral imagery across Tang Song poetry, then validating these patterns against contemporaneous developments in decorative arts.Our approach builds upon recent advances in computational humanities while remaining grounded in traditional sinological methods. By applying a fine tuned BERT model to analyze peony and plum blossom imagery in classical poetry, we detect measurable shifts in emotional connotations between the Tang and Song periods. These textual patterns are then cross berenced with visual evidence from textiles, ceramics, and other material culture, revealing previously unrecognized synergies between literary expression and artistic representation.