Chinese Literature

Chinese Literature 1000 B.C. – A.D. 1890

Shang Dynasty • 1600 B.C. • Divided northern China into many small regions, each governed by a king • Nature inhabited by gods and spirits • Developments: • New technologies in bronzeworking • Decimal system • 12 month calendar • Creation of fine pottery, silk textiles, and Jade ornaments

Chou Dynasty • 11th Century B.C. – 256 B.C. • Central Asian people who overthrew Shang dynasty • Severe political disunity • Hundreds of small feudal states with its own ruler • Many wars • The Hundred Schools period • Lao Tzu (Taoism – freedom, simplicity, and mystical contemplation of nature) • Confucius (Confucianism – code of social conduct and stressed discipline, morality and knowledge)

Ch’in Dynasty • Lasted 15 years • A feudal state that overthrew other states by 221 B.C. • Intolerant of other views • Strengthened central government • Divided China into provinces • Built road system • Patched the Great Wall of China

Han Dynasty • Lasted 400 years • Strengthened central gov’t • Improved education system • Made important advances in science and art • Established trade with Europe and Southern Asia • Introduced Buddhism (advocates freedom from worldly desires)

T’ang Dynasty • Followed period of disunity and a time when fine arts and literature flourished • Golden Age • Chinese poetry • Empire stretched from Pacific Ocean to Persian and India • Most effective system of government • Gunpowder and block printing invented

Sung Dynasty • Mid-tenth century • Peasant revolts brought about the dynasty • Era of “delicacy and refinement” (198) • Neo-Confucianism: originally, return to Confucius teachings, but blended Buddhist ideas of seeking enlightenment through mediation and moral action

Mongol Invasion • Late 12th, early 13th century A.D., the Yuan dynasty, first foreign dynasty established. • Conquest started by Genghis Khan; finished by Kublai Khan (grandson of Genghis) in 1279 • Had contact with other countries unlike other parts of Mongol empire

Ming Dynasty • Mongols driven out in mid-1300’s • Ming emperors revived Chinese culture previous to Mongol invasion • Overthrown by foreign invaders

Ch’ing Dynasty • Manchurians conquered China in 1644 • Adopted many elements of Chinese culture • Government modeled that of Ming dynasty • Rapid population growth led to unrest in Chinese society • Ended early 1900’s

Poetry • Important in Chinese culture • Civic service exams required a poetic composition • Oldest collection The Book of Songs • Written after Han dynasty fell; compiled 16 century B.C. • Students expected to memorize it • Shih form: emotive versus, rigid form • T’aoCh’ien, master of this form • Greatest during T’ang dynasty • Tz’uform: lyrical, written to music – varying line length

Philosophical Text • Highly valued like poetry • Confucius’ The Analects • Lao Tzu’s Tao TeChing • Chuang Tzu ’s, disciple of Lao Tzu, Chuan Tzu: • witty, imaginative style • Animal fables and anecdotes teaching Taoist philosophy and questioning Confucius’ principles

Chinese Drama and Fiction • Inferior to poetry • Golden age of drama during Yuan dynasty; included a consistent plot • Drama included singing and dancing • Fiction gained popularity during the Ming and Ch’ing dynasties • Romance of the Three Kingdoms by LuoGuanzhong, a historical tale • The Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en, a comic novel • The Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xeuqui, long work filled with psychological insights, about the decline of a prominent aristocratic family

Chinese Literature