ppt

2. Exploring Chinese
Literature
LESSON 1

3. About China
1. The 4th largest country in the
World (by area)
2. The Second Largest Population
3. Toilet Paper was invented in
China

4. About China
4. Ping Pong is China’s National
Sport
5. Tea was discovered in China
6. Red symbolizes happiness in
China

5. Chinese Language
 It was recorded about 5,000 years ago.
 Chinese language is considered to be the
oldest spoken language.
 It is monosyllabic.
 It does not have any polysyllabic words.

6. Chinese Language
 It is a tonal language, the same word changes
in meaning when it is said with an upward or
downward intonation.
 The spoken vocabulary has considerably fewer
words than the written vocabulary.

7. Chinese Writing
 It does not represent the
sounds of the words.
 It has no alphabet.
 It consists of about 50,000
Chinese characters
 Chinese writing is made up of
ideographs.

8. Chinese Writing
 214 signs, one can form other combinations.
 Chinese is written from right to left, in columns
from top to bottom.

9. Chinese Literature
Chinese literature reflects the political and
social history of China and the impact of
powerful religions that came from within and
outside the country.

10. Chinese Literature
Timeline

11. 1000 B.C
*Early Chinese
literature
*Five Classics form
the cultural, political,
and traditional life.

12. The Book of Changes (I Ching)
 is one of the Five Classics of Confucian
philosophy and has been primarily used
for divination. This book is based on the
concept of change – the one constant of
the universe.

13. The Book of History (Shang Shu)
 It is a collection of rhetorical prose attributed to
figures of ancient China and served as the
foundation of Chinese political philosophy for
over 2,000 years.

14. The Book of Rites (Liji)
 is a collection of texts describing the social
forms, administration, and ceremonial rites of
the Zhou dynasty as they were understood in
the Warring States and the early Han periods.

15. The Book of Odes (Shi Jing)
 Is a collection of 305 poems
 The collection includes refined folk songs,
ritualistic poems, dynastic legends, and hymns for
ancestral temples.
 The subject matter centers on daily activities such
as farming, gathering plants, farming, courting,
feasting, and going to war.

16. The Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu )
 one of the Confucian classics, believed to have
been compiled by Confucius（551-479 BC）
based on the chronicles of the State of Lu.
 The book covers a period of 242 years from the
first year of the reign of Duke Yin of Lu (722 BC) to
the 14th year of the reign of Duke Ai (481 BC).

17. • Wang Wei
• Li-Po
• To-Fu
• Po-Chu-I[ baw-jy-ee ]
The T’ang Poets:

18. Wang Wei
was a Chinese poet,
musician, painter, and
politician during the Tang
dynasty. One of the most
famous men of arts and
letters of his era.

19. Li-Po
He wrote occasional
verses and poems
about his own life. His
poetry is known for its
clear imagery and
conversational tone.

20. To-Fu
a poet-historian and his
works convey the
emotional impact and
import of political and
social issues and register a
range of private concerns,
trials, and dramas.

21. Po-Chu-I
He held the view that good
poetry should be readily
understood by the common
people and exemplified it in
poems noted for simple
diction, natural style, and social
content.

22. 1200s
*Drama and Fiction
developed as important forms of
Chinese literature
*Chinese plays resemble
European opera, combining
singing and dancing with
dialogue.

23. Chinese drama may
be traced to the songs and dances
of the chi (wizards) and the wu
(witches) whom the people
consulted to bring rain and ensure
bountiful harvests, etc.

24. The sheng is the
prerogative of the leading actor,
usually a male character, a scholar,
a statesman, a warrior patriot, and
the like.
There are four principal roles

25. The tau plays all the
women’s roles. At least six principal
characters are played by the female
impersonator who has taken over
the role after women were banned
from the Chinese stage as they
were looked down upon as
courtesan.

26. The ching roles usually
assigned the roles of brave
warriors, bandits, crafty and evil
ministers, upright judges, loyal
statesmen, at times god-like
and supernatural beings.
Conventionally, the ching must
have a broad face and forehead
suitable for the make-up
patterns suggestive of his
behavior.

27. The chau is the clown or
jester who is not necessarily a
fool and may also do serious or
evil character. He is easily
recognized for the white patch
around his eyes and nose, his use
of colloquial language, and his
adeptness in combining mimicry
and acrobatics.

28. 
Modern Chinese
literature developed after
the 1800s when
missionaries and traders
traveled to China and the
Chinese were exposed to
Western Culture.

29. 1949
*The communists came to
power and ordered writers to
create works that could be
easily understood by peasants,
soldiers, and workers.

30. 1966-1976
(Cultural Revolution)
*All intellectuals were
persecuted in China
*Political and social themes
dominated the published
works, and some writers dared
to write works that criticized
the government.

31. 1989
*Chinese university students
demanded greater democracy.
*The Chinese government
arrested leading writers who
supported the pro-democracy
movement.

32. 1980s
Cultural Fever
The term refers to the intellectual
intellectual and cultural movement in
the 1980s. This movement aroused
great interest and enthusiasm among
intellectuals on various cultural issues.

33. 1990s
*More on styles, themes,
and genres with a greater
interest in China’s past.
The writings of the ‘90s
reflect less of a self-
conscious debt to foreign
authors.

35. 1. State how related Chinese spoken and written languages
are. Is this the same with the English and the Filipino
languages? Why? Why not?
Chinese spoken and written languages are both monosyllabic.
No, it is not the same, because English and Filipino languages have
polysyllabic words and use letters to represent the sounds that make up
the word, unlike in Chinese language, instead of an alphabet, they have
characters that do not represent the spoken word but of an idea instead.
In the Chinese written language, a child learns to write/draw 214 signs
and from these signs, they can form other combinations whereas in the
English language, there are 26 letters and it is written from right to left,
in columns from top to bottom. However, English, Filipino, and Chinese
languages are similar in intonation and pitch significantly affects
meaning.

36. 2. What are the five classic books of the Chinese?
Compare/contrast the early and modern Chinese literary
periods.
The five classic books of the Chinese are The Book of
Changes, The Book of History, The Book of Rites, The Book
of Odes, and The Spring and Autumn Annals.
Early Chinese literature dates back to 1000 B.C. when they
had the five classic books that formed the foundation of
their cultural, political, and traditional life. Then, drama and
fiction developed as important forms of Chinese literature
during the 1200s. The Chinese plays resemble European
opera, combining singing and dancing with dialogue.

37. It can be concluded that Early Chinese literature can
be understood mostly by intellectual people. On the other
hand, Modern Chinese literature allowed peasants, soldiers,
and workers to understand Chinese literature. It started after
the 1800s when many European missionaries and traders
traveled to China resulting in the Chinese being exposed to
Western culture. Then, in 1949, when Chinese communists
came to power after a long civil war, they ordered writers to
create works that could be easily understood by ordinary
people.

38. 3. Who are considered to be the greatest Chinese
poets?
Wang We, Li-Po, To-Fu, and Po-Chu-l are considered
to be the greatest Chinese poets.

39. 4. How did Communism in China affect the writing of
literature?
During the period of Communism, all intellectuals
were persecuted in China. Political and social themes of this
period dominated the published works, and some writers
dared to write works that criticized the government.