Chinese Literature

CHINESE LITERATURE AND ARTS
INTRODUCTION
 China is the only country in the world with a literature
written in one language for more than 3,000 consecutive
years.
 This continuity results largely from the nature of the
written language itself. It is the use of characters, not
letters as in Western languages, that is most important
in the Chinese language
 The main disadvantage of written
Chinese is the great number of characters
it contains: Even basic reading and
writing require a knowledge of more than
1,000 characters.
 But even with this disadvantage, Chinese

has been a potent factor in shaping and
maintaining a cultural continuity for
millions of people.
 China has a very old and rich tradition in
literature and the dramatic and visual
arts. Early writings generally derived
from philosophical or religious essays
such as the works of Confucius (551-479
BC) and Lao-tzu (probably 4th century
BC).
 After the fall of a dynasty, for example, a

grand history of the late dynasty was
commissioned and written by scholars in
the next dynasty.
 China also produced poetry, novels, and
dramatic writings from an early date.
 Chinese literature has its own values and

tastes, its own reigning cultural tradition
and its own critical system of theory.
 Drama is another old and important
literary form. Chinese drama usually
combines vernacular language with music
and song and thus has been popular with
the common people.
 A variety of popular and standard themes

are presented in Peking Opera, one of the
local operas, which is probably the best
known of several operatic traditions that
developed in China. Chinese opera is a
favorite artistic and cultural medium
 Early Chinese novels often stressed
character development and usually
centered on an adventure or
supernatural happening;
 "Dream of the Red Chamber',

probably China's most famous
novel.
 China's literary tradition continues to the
present, though much 20th-century
writing has concentrated on efforts to
reform or modernize China.
 For 3500 years, they have woven a

variety of genres and forms
encompassing poetry, essays, fiction
and drama;
FORMS OF LITERATURE
1. Poetry
2. Prose
3. Fictions and novels
4. Drama and Opera
POETRY
 In ancient China, people had profuse feelings to express when
historical events took place, both joyful or of grief.
 Classical literature possesses a profound culture, and is the

epitome of the spirit, morals and wisdom of the Chinese people.
 Classical poetry cares a great deal for rhythm. Poetry is one of the
earliest artistic forms as well as the most fully developed in China.
SHIH CHING (SHI JING) 诗经
 The most important poetic work
produced during the classical period was
the Shih Ching (Book of Poetry), an
anthology of ancient poems written in
four-word verses and composed mostly
between the 10th and the 7th centuries
BC.
TANG POETRY
 Tang Dynasty is the period when poetry was flourishing.
 There are 2,300 poets and 50,000 poems.
 The most famous poets were Li Bai 李白 , Du Fu 杜甫 ,

and Bai Juyi 白居易 .
 300 Tang Poems 唐诗三百首 is a collection of Tang

poems for later learners.
 In Chinese literature, the Tang period (618-
907) is considered the golden age of
Chinese poetry. Tang Shi San Bai Shou [300
Tang Poems] is a compilation of poems
from this period made around 1763 by
Heng-tang-tui-shi [Sun Zhu] of the Qing
dynasty.
 Modern Chinese poetry, 新诗 , refers to
post Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1912) , including the
modern vernacular (baihua) style of poetry
increasingly common after 4 May 1919,
 One of the first writers of poetry in the modern

Chinese poetry mode was Hu Shih (1891 — 1962).
PROSE
 From the 6th to the 3d century BC, the first great works of Chinese
philosophy appeared. Philosophical writings, e.g. Confucius
Analects and Lao Tsu Tao Te Ching.
 Historical writings: one of the representative works is Shi Ji

(Records of History 史记 ), by Sima Qian 司马迁 (145-90 BC ）
FICTIONS AND NOVELS
Four great classical novels:
 Journey to the West

 Dream on Red Chamber
 Romance of Three Kingdoms
 Water Margin
 Ba Jin (November 25, 1904 –
October 17, 2005)
 Lu Xun (September 25, 1881 –

October 19, 1936)
 Lu Xun : 鲁迅 Lǔ Xùn was the pen name
of Zhou Shuren 周树人 Zhōu Shùrén;
(September 25, 1881 – October 19, 1936), one of the major
Chinese writers of the 20th century. Considered by many to be the
leading figure of modern Chinese literature, he wrote in baihua ( 白
話 ) (the vernacular) as well as classical Chinese. Lu Xun was a short
story writer, editor, translator, critic, essayist and poet. In the 1930s
he became the titular head of the Chinese League of the Left-Wing
Writers in Shanghai.
 狂人日记 "A Madman's Diary" (1918)
 孔乙己 "Kong Yiji" (1919)
 药 "Medicine" (1919)
 一件小事 "An Incident" (1920)
 阿 Q 正传 "The True Story of Ah Q" (1921)
 祝福 "New Year Sacrifice" (1924)

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CHINESE LITERATURE AND ARTS

 But even with this disadvantage, Chinese

 After the fall of a dynasty, for example, a

 Chinese literature has its own values and

 A variety of popular and standard themes

 "Dream of the Red Chamber',

 For 3500 years, they have woven a

 Classical literature possesses a profound culture, and is the

 There are 2,300 poets and 50,000 poems.

 The most famous poets were Li Bai 李白 , Du Fu 杜甫 ,

 300 Tang Poems 唐诗三百首 is a collection of Tang

 One of the first writers of poetry in the modern

 Historical writings: one of the representative works is Shi Ji

 Journey to the West

 Lu Xun (September 25, 1881 –

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