The literary debates in the early Song Dynasty were intense and underwent several cycles of contention. During the late Tang Dynasty, parallel prose was popular, and from the Five Dynasties to the early Song Dynasty, the literary style became increasingly frivolous. In response, figures such as Liu Kai (A.D. 947–1000), Mu Xiu (A.D. 979–1032), and Wang Yucheng (A.D. 954–1001) emerged to oppose this trend. However, during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, aristocrats, and officials like Yang Yi, Qian Weiyan, and Liu Yun engaged in poetic exchanges and compiled the book A Collection of Xikun Poems, proclaiming it to be “exquisite and widely admired” (Yang Yi, Preface to A Collection of Xikun Poems). As a result, the poetic style underwent another transformation. Subsequently, individuals like Mei Yaochen (1002–1060), Su Shunqin (1008–1048), and Shi Jie (1005–1045) rose to oppose the prevailing trend. Shi Jie vehemently criticized the Xikun style, asserting that it hindered scholars from studying the classics and was “an excessive display of Yang Yi’s personal vanity. He denounced it as “extravagantly indulgent, focusing on frivolous beauty, flowers, and plants, excessively ornate and superficial” (On Aberrant Doctrines). During this period, there was a risk of losing the outstanding poetic and literary traditions of the Tang Dynasty. The proponents of the literary and artistic innovation movement sought to collect and restore the works of poets such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Han Yu, and Liu Zongyuan, advocating for the revival of their poetic style and classical prose. They played the role of pioneers in this endeavor.