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Chinese literature

Adapted from Wikipedia ยท Adventurer experience

A beautiful Dehua porcelain sculpture representing Wenchang Wang, a traditional Chinese figure associated with literature and wisdom.

Chinese literature has a long and rich history that goes back thousands of years. It began with early writings and records, and grew into important books about thinking and history during a time called the Axial Age.

The Han (202 BC โ€“ 220 AD) and Tang (618โ€“907 AD) dynasties were great times for poetry. The Song (960โ€“1279) and Yuan (1271โ€“1368) dynasties were famous for their songs, essays, and plays.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, stories started being written in everyday written vernacular Chinese, instead of the older style called Literary Chinese that was used in the Chinese classics. New ways of printing, like woodblock printing in the Tang dynasty and movable type printing by Bi Sheng in the Song dynasty, helped share books with many people. In the early 1900s, Lu Xun became an important writer in everyday Chinese literature.

Pre-classical period

The earliest Chinese literature began with spoken words, like songs, predictions, and ceremonies. Important books such as the Shijing and Yi jing show how these spoken traditions helped form early writing. Scholars look at how magic words and chants might have shaped the start of Chinese literature.

Classical texts

Main article: Chinese classics

See also: List of Chinese language poets

Early Chinese literature has many important books from the Hundred Schools of Thought during the Eastern Zhou dynasty (770โ€“256 BC). These books share ideas from Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism, and Legalism. They also have stories about war and Chinese history. Most of these books teach lessons instead of telling made-up stories.

Some important books come from Confucianism. In the 1100s AD, nine books were chosen for students learning to work for the government. These are called the Five Classics and the Four Books. The Five Classics include the I Ching, a book about predicting the future, the Classic of Poetry with poems and songs, the Book of Rites, the Book of Documents with speeches from leaders, and the Spring and Autumn Annals, a history book. The Four Books are the Analects of Confucius, Mencius, Doctrine of the Mean, and Great Learning, which teach about good behavior and learning.

Other important books include the Mozi teaching kindness, and Hanfeizi about rules and laws. Daoist books like the Dao De Jing, Zhuangzi, and Liezi share wise ideas. One famous book about war is The Art of War by Sun Tzu, which gives advice on strategy.

Historical texts, dictionaries and encyclopedias

Main article: Chinese historiography

Further information: Category:Encyclopedias in Chinese and Chinese dictionary

Sima Qian laid the ground for professional Chinese historiography more than 2,000 years ago.

The Chinese people kept careful records of their history and daily life for a very long time. One of the earliest books about Chinaโ€™s past is called the Zuo Zhuan. It was written down by a blind historian named Zuo Qiuming around 389 BC. Another important book is the Book of Documents. It includes early maps and stories from Chinaโ€™s past.

China also has many old dictionaries. The oldest one is the Erya, made around the 3rd century BC. Later, big books like the Shiji by Sima Qian told the whole story of Chinaโ€™s history. These books helped people learn about the past for thousands of years.

China also made huge books that tried to contain all the knowledge of their time. One of these is the Yongle Encyclopedia from the 1400s. It had 50 million words. Even bigger books came later, like the Complete Classics Collection of Ancient China from 1726. It had more than 100 million words!

Classical poetry

Main article: Classical Chinese poetry

Bai Juyi (772โ€“846), a famous Tang dynasty poet and statesman

Chinese poetry has a long and rich history. It started with two important books. In northern China, the Shijing or Classic of Poetry (around the 11th to 7th century BC) has over 300 poems. These poems are different, from songs to hymns. The word shi means poem and describes a style of Chinese poetry. The philosopher Confucius may have helped edit the Shijing. The poems often begin with nature and then share feelings.

From southern China comes the Chuci, linked to the poet Qu Yuan and his follower Song Yu. These poems are more emotional and describe imaginary scenes. Both the Shijing and the Chuci have shaped Chinese poetry for thousands of years.

During the Han dynasty (206 BC โ€“ 220 AD), a new style of poetry called fu began. This mixed prose and poetry. Another style, yuefu, used folk songs for inspiration. Later, in the Tang dynasty (618โ€“907 AD), poetry became very famous. Poets like Li Bai and Du Fu wrote lovely poems about nature and life. The Tang dynasty was a golden age for poetry.

The Song dynasty (960โ€“1279) saw a new poetry form called ci. This style used set patterns. The Yuan dynasty (1279โ€“1368) added opera influences to poetry, creating the sanqu style. In the Ming (1368โ€“1644) and Qing (1644โ€“1911) dynasties, poetry stayed popular, with many poems saved from this time.

Classical prose

Early Chinese prose was shaped by important writings from the Hundred Schools of Thought (770โ€“221ย BC). Writers like Mozi, Mencius, and Zhuang Zhou wrote clearly and simply. Their style influenced literature for many years. These works were written in Classical Chinese, matching the language spoken during the Spring and Autumn period.

A Ming dynasty Dehua porcelain sculpture of Wenchang Wang, a Chinese deity of literature

During the Tang dynasty, prose became more powerful, inspired by earlier writers from the Hundred Schools and the Han dynasty. This style lasted a long time and was used by famous writers like Han Yu. In the Song dynasty, travel writing became popular, mixing diary and story forms. After the 14th century, stories written in everyday language grew popular, with Dream of the Red Chamber as a famous example.

Classical fiction and drama

Chinese stories began with old tales and histories, such as Tale of King Mu, Son of Heaven and In Search of the Supernatural. Over time, these stories grew into longer novels. Readers liked stories about history, good lessons, and society. As cities grew and printing improved, novels explored deeper ideas about life. Novels from the late Ming dynasty and early Qing dynasty were rich with new ideas.

Modern literature

See also: Modern Chinese poetry

Scholars believe that modern Chinese literature did not start suddenly during the New Culture Movement in the 1910sโ€“1920s. Instead, its roots go back to the late Qing period (1895โ€“1911) and even earlier.

Late Qing (1895โ€“1911)

The late Qing was a time of big changes in ideas. Around the start of the 20th century, thinkers used stories to talk about politics and history. They also looked outside China for new ideas, translating Western books and stories. This led to more people writing fiction, especially after exams for government jobs ended in 1905. These stories mixed Chinese and Western styles.

Republican Era (1912โ€“49)

After the Qing Dynasty ended in 1911, many love stories were written in both old and new Chinese. During the New Culture Movement in the 1910s and 1920s, writers like Lu Xun started using modern Chinese instead of the older style.

In the 1920s and 1930s, new kinds of plays appeared. Peking opera was still popular, and new plays used both Western and traditional styles.

Maoist Era (1949โ€“76)

After the Communists took control in 1949, the publishing industry was taken over by the government. Writers had to follow strict rules, and those who did not could face trouble.

Inside Chongwen Book City, a large bookstore in Wuhan

Opening and reform (1978โ€“1989)

After reforms started in 1978, writers could try new styles and talk about new subjects. Their work often looked back at hard times and showed new freedoms.

Post-Tiananmen (1989โ€“present)

After 1989, China's culture became more focused on business. Writers explored many different topics, and many new writers became well-known. Women writers became more visible, and many different writing styles grew.

Online literature

Main article: Chinese online literature

In recent years, online stories have become very important in China. Many popular stories are read online, often for a small price. Websites like Qidian and Jinjiang Literature City help authors share their work with millions of readers. These sites let writers earn money, and readers can talk to authors through comments and ratings.

Book market

China buys many books from other countries, and the book market keeps growing. However, the government decides what can be published, and some books are not allowed. Even so, many Chinese writers have become successful around the world.

Impact of translation on modern and contemporary Chinese writers

Books from other countries have always been important in China. Many famous Chinese writers also translated books, finding ideas in stories from around the world.

Survey books about Chinese literature

Modern books about Chinese literature began to appear around the year 1900.

The first two known books were written by authors from Japan and published in Japanese. Kojล Tandล wrote a 700-page book called Shina bungakushi (โ€œHistory of Chinese Literatureโ€) in 1897. Sasakawa Rinpลซ wrote another book with the same title in 1898.

The first book in English was A History of Chinese Literature, written by Herbert Giles and published in 1901. In 1904, a book called Zhongguo wenxue shi by Lin Chuanjia became the first survey book written in Chinese.

Later, The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature, edited by Kang-i Sun Chang and Stephen Owen, became an important two-volume work published in 2010 by the Cambridge University Press. In 2017, Harvard University Press published a book called A New Literary History of Modern China, edited by David Der-wei Wang, which includes many scholarly essays about Chinese literature from the 17th century to today.

Contemporary Chinese literature in translation

Chinese literature is now easier to read than ever before. Many websites help readers find books and stories. Some popular sites are Paper Republic, Writing Chinese, Chinese Short Stories, and My Chinese Books.

In 2005, the Chinese government started helping to translate some Chinese books into other languages. Because of this, more than 200 books have been translated and shared with readers all over the world.

Selected modern Chinese writers

Here are some important modern writers from China:

Writers of Chinese heritage who write in other languages

See also List of Asian-American writers, Chinese American literature

Chinese writers writing in English:

Chinese writers writing in French:

Images

Two book icons symbolizing reading and learning.

Related articles

Han dynasty
Tang dynasty
Song dynasty
Taoism
History of China
I Ching

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Chinese literature, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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