Book of Poetry is the earliest anthology of verse in China and also in the world, compiled in China 2500 years ago. The book consists of 305 poems dating from 1713 B.C. to 505 B.C. It is divided according to the type of music into four main 160 Songs sung by the people in 15 city states and collected by royal musicians, reflecting the life and struggle, labor and love, joys and sorrows of the people in ancient times, which are considered as the best part of the whole book; 74 Odes and 31 Epics sung by the nobles at court or at banquets, and 40 Hymns used during sacrifice to the gods and ancestors.