How old is Chinese literature?

Its earliest texts, such as the Classic of Poetry, date back roughly three thousand years, making it one of the world's oldest continuous literary traditions.

What was the May Fourth movement?

It was an early-twentieth-century cultural movement that promoted writing in the vernacular and modern literary forms, transforming Chinese literature.

Chinese Literature — ScholarGate Atlas

Definition

The literary tradition of China, from ancient poetry and classical prose to the vernacular novel and modern literature, written in Classical and modern Chinese.

Scope

This topic covers the literature of China from the ancient Classic of Poetry through the great ages of Tang and Song poetry, classical prose, Yuan drama, the Ming and Qing vernacular novel, and modern and contemporary literature. It treats the role of Classical Chinese as a literary language, the major genres and authors, the relationship between elite and popular forms, and the transformations of the modern period including the May Fourth movement.

Core questions

What are the major periods and genres of Chinese literary history?
How did Classical Chinese function as a literary language?
How did the vernacular novel develop in the Ming and Qing periods?
How did the May Fourth movement transform modern Chinese literature?

Key concepts

Classical Chinese
shi and ci poetry
the vernacular novel
the literary canon
the May Fourth movement

Key theories

The continuity of the Chinese literary tradition: Surveys such as Mair's Columbia History present Chinese literature as a long continuous tradition unified by Classical Chinese and a shared canon, while accounting for popular and regional forms.

History

From the Classic of Poetry and the philosophical prose of antiquity, Chinese literature reached poetic heights in the Tang and Song dynasties and developed the great vernacular novels of the Ming and Qing, such as Dream of the Red Chamber. The early twentieth-century May Fourth movement promoted vernacular writing and modern forms, reshaping the tradition for the modern era.

Debates

Elite versus popular literature: Scholars debate the relationship between classical, elite literature and the popular and vernacular forms that produced the great novels and drama.

Key figures

Li Bai
Du Fu
Cao Xueqin
Lu Xun
Victor H. Mair

Seminal works

shijing
cao1791
mair2001

Frequently asked questions

How old is Chinese literature?: Its earliest texts, such as the Classic of Poetry, date back roughly three thousand years, making it one of the world's oldest continuous literary traditions.
What was the May Fourth movement?: It was an early-twentieth-century cultural movement that promoted writing in the vernacular and modern literary forms, transforming Chinese literature.

Chinese Literature