Introduction
There are two traditions in Chinese literature:literary and popular or colloquial. The last one dates back more than a thousand years before the Christian era and remains to this day. In the beginning it consisted of poetry, later in theater and romance, and later it was incorporating historical works, popular stories and tales. The intellectuals of the official class who dictated literary tastes, did not believe it worthy of studies because they considered it inferior, and, until the 20th century, this type of literature did not obtain the recognition of the intellectual class. Its brilliant and refined style marks the beginnings of the orthodox literary tradition, which began 2,000 years ago.
Classical Period
The classical period corresponds to that of Greek and Roman literature. The stages of formation took place from the 6th to the 4th century BC. in the periods of the Chou dynasty (c. 1027-256 BC). From this time are the works of Confucius, Mencius, Laozi (Lao-tse), Zhuangzi and other great Chinese philosophers. It culminated with the compilation of the so-called five classics, or Confucian classics, in addition to other philosophical treatises.
The most important poetic work of the classical period was the Shijing (Book of odes or Classic of poetry), an anthology of poems composed mostly between the 10th and 7th centuries BC. Legend says that it was Confucius himself who selected and edited the 305 poems that make up the work. These are simple and realistic poems of peasant and courtly life.
The aristocratic or courtly style reaches its maximum expression with the poems of Chu, a feudal state in southern central China that was the land of Qu Yuan, the first great Chinese poet.
During the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) the realist and romantic tendencies gave way to poetic schools. Chu's verses were the beginning of a new literary genre, the fu, the prose poem. Later, poetry was enriched with popular songs collected by Yüeh-fu in the 2nd century BC.
The first prose works form, together with the Shijing, the five classics. They are the I Ching (Annals of Chin), book of riddles; the Shujing (Book of documents), a set of ancient state documents; the Liji (Memory of the Rites), a collection of governmental codes and rituals; and the Chunqiu (Spring Anise), the history of the state of Lu from 722 to 481 BC. From the 6th to the 3rd century BC. the first great works of Chinese philosophy were written, like the Analects of Confucius, aphorisms compiled by his disciples; the eloquent debates of Mencius, disciple of Confucius; the Doodejing (Classic of the form and its virtue), attributed to Lao Tse, founder of Taoism, and the essays of Zhuangzi, the other great Taoist philosopher. Also important are essays by Mozi, Xunzi and Han Fei Zi. Sima Qian wrote the Shiji (Historical Memoirs), History of China to the Han Dynasty. Confucius' disciples created the foundations of the Chinese prose literary tradition, adopting their own literary language, different from the spoken language.
Medieval Period
From the 3rd to the 7th century AD, China was divided into rival states, but with the spread of Buddhism from India and the invention of a type of printing press, it experienced one of the most brilliant periods in the history of its literature.
During periods of political unrest, poets found refuge and solace in the countryside. Some were hermits and created a poetry school they called Campo e Jardim. Others wrote the best Chinese folk poems, such as the love poems attributed to poet Tzu-yeh. The best poet of these turbulent centuries was Tao Qian, also known as Tao Yuanming, who sang of the joys of nature and solitary life.
The best Chinese poetry was written during the Tang dynasty (617-907), of which more than 49,000 poems written by 2,200 poets are preserved. The three most famous poets were Wang Wei, philosopher and painter; Li Po, Taoist leader of the Romantic school, and his friend and rival Tu Fu, meticulous in his efforts to achieve a precious realism, whose work influenced the poet Po Chu-i, who used poetry as a medium for criticism and satire. .
During the Song dynasty (960-1279), Su Tung-po was the best Chinese poet of tsu (poetic style that fixes the number of lines and their length according to tone and rhythm). Chinese poet Li Qingzhao achieved great popularity for her tsu verses about her widowhood. Han Yu, master of Tang prose, demanded a return to direct and simple writing in the classical style.
The literary tradition continued in the Song dynasty with Ouyang Xiu, best known for his wonderful descriptions of landscapes. Su Xun's ingenious essays are the best of classical style.
Theater proper did not develop until the late medieval period. At the time of Tang, actors already occupied an important place among popular artists and were grouped in professional companies, which performed in theaters built to receive thousands of people.
Modern Period
The modern era begins in the 13th century and continues to the present day.
In the 14th century, Chinese folk narrative was increasingly important. Two of the first novels of this era, Sanguozhi Yanyi (Romance Stories of the Realms) and Shuihuzhuan (By the Water), can be considered the prose epic of the Chinese people. Cao Xueqin wrote the realistic novel Hongloumeng (Dream of the Red Room).
In the 17th century, numerous collections of short stories appeared. The most popular is Jinguqiguan (Wonderful Tales of the Past and Present), made up of 40 stories.
In the 20th century, influenced by Western literature, Chinese writers, guided by Hu Shi, started a literary revolution known as the Chinese Renaissance. They intended to use colloquial language for literary purposes. With essays and scathing stories they attacked traditional society, and writers such as Lu Xun (pseudonym of Zhou Shuren) helped advance the socialist revolution.
During the years of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1978) artists and writers adapted to the needs of the people and the Western bourgeois influence was attacked harshly. Since then, greater freedom of expression has been allowed, and a renewed interest in Western ideas and forms has been tolerated.
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