This document provides information about Chinese literature and some of its most famous modern writers. It begins with background on China and then discusses the history of Chinese literature, noting that it began over 2,000 years ago with The Book of Poetry. It highlights several genres and periods of traditional Chinese literature and how it was influenced by Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. The document then lists 10 of the most influential modern Chinese writers such as Lu Xun, Lao She, Cao Yu, and Zhang Ailing, and their major works.

1. ASIAN
LITERATURE
CHINESE LITERATURE

2. CHINA (The People's Republic of China)
• China is the world's third biggest country by territory, and it has the
largest population. It's home to one of the oldest civilizations on earth with
a unique and sophisticated culture.
• Biggest country in Asia.
• Beijing: The Chinese capital is well-known for its mixture of ancient
culture and urban growth. The most famous attractions in Beijing include
the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City.
• Shanghai: Largest city by population
• Great Wall of China and The Forbidden City in Beijing are only two
famous landmarks in this place.
• Standard Chinese or Standard Mandarin is the main language in
China.

3. CHINESE LITERATURE
• Chinese literature began more than two thousand years ago, with The
Book of Poetry (Shijing) as its first anthology.
• This book is a collection of 305 poems that date back to a period
between approximately 800 and 600 B.C. Among the rhetorical devices
employed in this first poem of The Book of Poetry is the use of
metaphor.
• Following The Book of Poetry, highlights of traditional Chinese literature
include (1)The Songs of the South(Chuci); (2)the prose writings in
history and philosophy of the Qin and Han dynasties; (3) Tang
poetry; (4)the Song lyric; (5) the prose of the Tang and Song
dynasties; and (6) the short stories, (7) novels, and (8) dramas
from the Tang to the Qing dynasties.

4. • The modern period of Chinese literature, which began in the 1910s,
is even more multifarious and voluminous. Running the risk
of abstraction and oversimplification, Chinese literature is
characterized as the expression of both the heart and the mind, as
concerning the individual and society, as variously sublime and
graceful, and as blending reality and the imagination.
• Traditional Chinese literature developed under the intellectual
influences of Confucianism, Daoism (Taoism), and Buddhism.
• Confucianism preaches benevolence, righteousness, individual
effort, commitment to society, and harmony among people.
• Traditional Chinese literature came under the influence of
Christianity in the Ming dynasty (1368 –1644), when Western
missionaries made their way to China.

5. • In general, traditional Chinese literature, though mainly
a product of Chinese civilization, has absorbed, in its
course of development, certain elements from cultures
other than the Chinese.
• Chinese literature in the twentieth century made a
dramatic turn to the West. This change affected not just
literature but virtually all aspects of Chinese culture.
• To be sure, twentieth-century Chinese literature has
been receptive to the literary works of such Eastern
countries as India and Japan, but the presence of the
West is quite overwhelming.

6. • In Modern times, Chinese writers have
remained prolific. Though the social impact of
literature may be as monumental as it was in the past,
the Chinese literary tradition is nevertheless
prosperous. Notable names include Mo Yan, a
fictionist who won the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature.
Remarkable too were the novels of Yu Hua, Wang
Shuo and Shi Tiesheng, and the stories of Gao
Xiaosheng, Wang Zengqi, and Zhang Chenzhi.

7. Top 10 Famous Writers in Modern China
Modern China refers to the period from 1912 to the present.
This period saw prosperity of Chinese literature and lots of
outstanding and influential Chinese writers. These literary
giants exerted a deep influence on Chinese society even in
China today. Here is a list of the most influential Chinese
writers and their major works that time.

8. • 1. Lu Xun (鲁迅)
Lu Xun (1881-1936) is known as China’s greatest modern writer of the 20th
century. He was also known for his sharp and unique essays and created more
than 600 articles. He was the head of the Chinese Left-Wing Writers League in
Shanghai in the 1930s. Mao Zedong (1893-1976) evaluated him highly, calling
him “Commander of China’s cultural revolution.” He also wrote many
famous stories such as Diary of a Madman(1918) and Kong Yiji (1919)
• 2. Lao She (老舍)
Lao She (1899 –1966) was a well-known Chinese novelist and dramatist, he
made significant contributions Chinese literature of 20th century. The
novel Rickshaw Boy and the play Teahouse are his most well-known works.

9. • 3. Zhou Zuoren (周作人)
Zhou Zuoren (1885- 1967), the younger brother of the renowned writer Lu Xun, was
a Chinese writer, mainly known as an essayist and an outstanding translator. He
was one of the most important Chinese essayists in the 1920s and 1930s. He
translated lots of important works from Japanese literature, Classical Greek
literature, and English literature.
• 4. Shen Congwen (沈从文)
Shen Congwen (1902–1988), from Fenghuang County, Hunan province, was a
great modern Chinese writer and historical relics research scholar. Bian Cheng (The
Border Town) and Changhe (The Long River) are his best novels, while Chundeng Ji
(Lamp of Spring) and Heifeng Ji (Black Phoenix) are his most famous collections of
short stories.

10. • 5. Lin Yutang (林语堂)
Lin Yutang (1895 -1976) was a noted modern Chinese writer, translator and linguist. He left
a large number of Chinese and English works, including novels, essays, literary criticism,
cultural commentary, biographies, English textbooks, dictionaries, translations and so on.
His most important works are The Importance of Living (1937), Moment in Peking (1939)
and Between Tears and Laughter (1943).
• 6. Cao Yu (曹禺)
Cao Yu (1910-1996) is a famous modern Chinese dramatist and drama
educator who is often called “the Shakespeare of China”. Thunderstorm
(1933), Sunrise (1936) and The Wilderness (1937) and Peking Man (1940) are
his most important dramatic works.

11. • 7. Zhang Ailing (张爱玲)
Zhang Ailing (1920—1995) was an influential female modern Chinese writer.
She is good at writing sad, bitter love stories and expresses her unique attitude
towards life in the novels. Her most famous works include Lust,
Caution and Love in a Fallen City , The Golden Cangue and Written on Water.
• 8. Zhang Henshui (张恨水)
Zhang Henshui (1895 – 1967) was a highly prolific Chinese novelist. During his
50 years writing career, he created more than a hundred popular novels, most
of which are long chapter novels, It is estimated that Zhang wrote a total of
some 20 million Chinese characters. His best works include History of
Chunming, A Family of Distinction, Tears and Laughter and Eighty-One Dreams.

12. • 9. Ba Jin (巴金)
Ba Jin (1904－2005) is a litterateur and translator. He is regarded as one of
most widely read Chinese writers in the 20th century. His most influential work
is his trilogy Home, Spring and Autumn, which reflects the brutality of Chinese
feudal family life.
• 10. Qian Zhongshu (钱钟书)
Qian Zhongshu (1910 – 1998) was a Chinese scholar and writer. He is equalled
by no one in erudition and scholarly achievements in the 20th century. His most
well-known work is his satiric novel Fortress Besieged . He also made great
contribution in digitizing Chinese in his later years.