CHINESE LITERATURE: HISTORY, CHARACTERISTICS, OUTSTANDING WORKS - LITERATURE - 2025

The Chinese literature is one of the oldest in the world. The history of this literature is about 3000 years old, when ideographic writing was invented. The earliest recorded texts deal with philosophical, religious, and historical issues.

The first literary texts were made from the 8th century AD. In this period, poetry became popular, with Li Bai and Du Fu being two of the most important poets of this period.

First page of the Shiji manuscript, composed between 109 BC. C. and 91 a. C.

Subsequently, other entertaining texts were written, among which the books that narrated the trips and expeditions in which the authors participated stand out. These texts were popular in the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD).

In the 14th century, China was conquered by the Mongols. This generated a drastic transformation in the literature. From this time on, the texts began to be written in vernacular Chinese and not in classical Chinese (a characteristic that has been maintained to this day).

History of literature in China

The first written records of China date from the 18th century BC. However, it was in the 11th century BC. C. when one begins to speak of a Chinese literature.

Zhou dynasty

Between the years 1045 and 255 a. C., the Zhou Dynasty developed. In that period, works belonging to philosophical and religious literature were written.

The texts that emerged at this time were the basis of most of the religions and philosophies of China, as well as the existing belief system in this country. In this way, the written foundations of doctrines such as Taoism and Confucianism emerged.

Qin dynasty

The Zhou Dynasty was followed by the Qin Dynasty. During this period the classical written language was standardized, a writing system that would be used from then on in the Chinese territory and that would give rise to the modern Chinese writing system.

The works written in this dynasty were framed in the philosophical current of legalism. This doctrine justified the authoritarian behavior of the emperor and argued that the people should obey the president.

The basis of this philosophy was that the people were anarchic by nature and therefore an emperor and strict laws were needed to maintain social order.

Han Dynasty

The Han Dynasty developed between 206 BC. C and 220 d. During this dynasty, Confucianism was resumed, which was mixed with the philosophy of legalism. The result was a unique philosophical doctrine of the Han Dynasty.

The contributions to literature of this era include historical and scientific texts. One of the most important texts of this time is the "Historical Memories" of Sima Qian (see image at the beginning of the article), which compiles the events that occurred from the Shang Dynasty (18th century BC) to the Han Dynasty.

Tang dynasty

The Tang Dynasty occurred between 618 and 907 AD. This dynasty was of great importance for its contributions in terms of poetry. In fact, two of the most important Chinese poets made their works in this period. These were Li Bai and Du Fu.

Li Bai

Li Bai was born in 701 and died in 762. His poems dealt with various subjects, among which politics, the art of war and nature stood out.

Du fu

Du Fu was born in 712 and died in 770. He wrote more than a thousand poems. His work can be considered as part of the realism movement.

His poems truthfully represented the ravages caused by war, the contrast between poverty and wealth, the beauty of life in the countryside, death, among other themes.

Song dynasty

The Song Dynasty arose in 960 and lasted until 1279. During this period, the literature of travelers became popular. In this type of text, the authors wrote about the places they had visited. These texts had great reach among the Chinese population because they were sold at an affordable price.

Another of the contributions in the matter of literature that the Song Dynasty left was poetry. Two of the most important poets of the era were Lu, who wrote some 10,000 poems, and Sun Tungpo, who is considered the greatest poet of the period.

Yuan Dynasty

The Yuan Dynasty occurred between 1279 and 1368. This dynasty was formed when the Mongols conquered China. In this period, a form of theater was popularized in which the actors were the shadows projected by puppets.

In this way, plays began to be written whose function was to be represented before an audience. The language used in these texts was not classical Chinese but vernacular Chinese, spoken by the low people. For this reason, this type of work was far-reaching. One of the most famous playwrights of the time was Guan Hanging.

Novels also flourished during the Yuan Dynasty. The most important novelists of the time were Luo Guan Zhong and Shi Nai An.

Qing dynasty

The Qing Dynasty occurred between 1644 and 1911. During this period, the Chinese people came into contact with foreign literary texts. The influence of these texts served to consolidate modern Chinese literature.

Modern era

The modern era began in 1912 and continues to this day. Modern Chinese literature is characterized by:

1. Have a much more western character, due to the influence of foreign literary texts.
2. The use of the vernacular, instead of the classical language.
3. Freedom of expression.
4. Gender equality.

Outstanding works

- "Summer Snow", a play that tells the tragedy of how a woman was unjustly accused. It was written by Guan Hanging during the Yuan Dynasty.

- "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", a novel that is considered one of the most important texts in Chinese literature. It was written by Luo Guan Zhong during the Yuan Dynasty. This novel is of great length and was presented in the vernacular.

- "Dream of the red camera", novel written in the vernacular. It is attributed to Cao Xuegin.

References

1. Chinese literature. Retrieved on December 30, 2017, from britannica.com
2. Chinese Literature. Retrieved on December 30, 2017, from ancient.eu
3. Chinese literature. Retrieved on December 30, 2017, from theguardian.com
4. Chinese literature facts. Retrieved on December 30, 2017, from encyclopedia.com
5. Chinese Literature: Works, Development Periods. Retrieved on December 30, 2017, from travelchinaguide.com
6. History of Chinese Literature. Retrieved on December 30, 2017, from chinahighlights.com
7. Introduction to Chinese Literature. Retrieved on December 30, 2017, from afe.easia.columbia.edu
8. The Four Classic Novels of Chines Literature. Retrieved on December 30, 2017, from theculturetrip.com