China and the West

Zhang, Changgong. Mi'erdun yu Du Fu [ID D26348].
Zhang schreibt : "Milton's basic principle was liberalism. His goal was to make liberalism applicable to religion, politics, education, and ideas. Through his characterization, Milton pursued libery for the people in all trades : peasants, scholars, teachers, jurors, collectors, etc. For Milton, liberty involved freedom of religious belief, freedom of education, rights of personal property, and freedom of ideas, imagination, literature etc.
His sole purpose was for the nation to grow... His prospect was that the nation could act with honor and justice, worship God, walk in the path of truth, and become a great united group with concerted life... Du Fu's wish was to restore order ; Milton's mind was devoted to the advancement of liberty. Du Fu dedicated his loyalty to the Emperor ; Milton dedicated his ideal of liberty to the nation... Politics is an important part of human life. The 'inspiration' of a political poet is different from that of a non-poliitcal poet ; it is more solid and more realistic. Du Fu's role as a political poet was one of the reasons that he occupied a special position in poetry – for his special gift could be better developed. So was the case of Milton.

Huang Chia-yin : Zhang is suggesting similarities and congeniality between Milton and Du Fu. Zhang pointed out the political undertones of Milton's three major works, although no direct descriptions of the actual events in England were found. Instead of qualifying Milton's ideas of liberty in the 17th-centgury political and religious struggles, Zhang transformed Milton into a liberal in the modern sense by the labeling of 'liberalism' upon him. So Milton advocated liberty at all fronts and fought for the rights and freedom of people from all social strata. Liberty was drawn out of Milton's puritan context and became a universal value that the poet would devote his life to for the well-being of his nation. Milton became the epitome of the ideal poet-statesman for many Chinese elites.