After the introduction of Buddhism into China during the Eastern Han Dynasty, Taoism also began to develop, and along with Confucianism, which had been around since pre-Ch'in times, these three Systems of became known as The Three Systems of Thought. The Three Systems of Thought became the central and leading force of Chinese traditional religion, the mainstream of Chinese philosophy. The relationship between these Three Systems of Thought developed from one of mutual opposition to one of mutual borrowing, until many centuries later at the time of the Early T'ang they had reached a position of similar importance, accepted equally by the intellectuals. They had become fodder for the literary creation of the intellectuals. The essential literary form of Fu had developed from the Han Dynasty through the Three Kingdoms Period to the Six Dynasties and then to the early T'ang. In form Fu had gone from Ancient Fu to P'ai Fu and then to Regulated Fu. The period of the Early T' ang was important in the developmental history of the Fu form for the transition from P'ai Fu to Regulated Fu. This is a period that should not be overlooked by literary historians. However, in the past, very rarely has anyone done in-depth research on this topic. This study attempts to make up for this oversight in the research on the history of the Fu by investigating their content. Literature is a combination of the author's self-consciousness with society, history and culture. Religion is a kind of social consciousness. Religion and society are closely interwoven, thus the religious thought in literature can be seen by the messages of religious consciousness it has accepted. This study starts by investigating the form of religious thought in early T'ang Fu, hoping that by analysis of Fu content, its religious thought can be clearly shown, and that this can become a basis for further research into Early T'ang Fu, and at the same time provide a concrete example of the relationship between literature and religion.
