中华人民共和国

Lesson 4 – CHINESE
LITERATURE
Members:
Cabelleza, Riza
Santiago, David
Few Facts!
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Country fact file: China
OFFICIAL NAME: People”s Republic of China

FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Communist state

CAPITAL: Beijing (Peking)

POPULATION: 1,393,783,836

OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: Chinese, Mandarin

MONEY: Yuan (or Renminbi)

AREA: 9,596,960 square kilometres

MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGES: Himalayas

MAJOR RIVERS: Yangtze, Yellow

Geography of China

CHINA
4th largest country in
the world

The climate of China

is extremely diverse

China is bordered
by 14 countries

Land - 97.2%
Water - 2.8%
● China, sleeping giant, the world’s largest nation and oldest existing civilization. The name China was
derived from Ch’in, the fourth dynasty which ruled the country from 221-206 B.C. This dynasty united
the Chinese people and established the Chinese Empire.

● The oldest documents of Chinese writings are inscriptions written on bones and tortoise shells dated
about 1400-122 B.C. during the so-called Shang or Yin Dynasty. These inscriptions recorded
divinations performed at the royal capital. It is to be inferred, that there were songs sung to the
accompaniment of the dance and music which still exist today.

● Shih Huang Ti, builder of the 1,700-mile Great Wall and China’s first unifier of the Chinese people. His
name means “First Emperor.” He was condemned by Chinese historians because in 213 B.C. he
ordered the burning of books, including the Confucian Classics and other historical works. He wanted
to wipe out China’s past from memory so that the future generations would regard him as the first
hero in Chinese history.
 China’s
contribution to the
World
中国的贡献
First paper, brush, and ink for writing
第一张纸，笔和墨水
 Mathematics ( 數 )

Rites ( 禮 ) Calligraphy ( 書 )
Confucius’ six arts
Archery
(射)

Chariot Riding
Music (御)
(樂)
 第一个指南针

First compass
Sericulture (silk industry)
蚕桑业（丝绸工业）
Confucian philosophy and the religion
Confucianism
儒家哲学与儒家
 Civil service
examinations
公务员考试
Pagoda
architecture
宝塔建筑
Gunpowder and
Fireworks
火药和烟花
Chopstick
筷子
First printing press
第一台印刷机
Rocketry in
warfare
战争中的火箭
First military book "Art of War“
第一本军事书籍《孙子兵法》
First published newspaper "The Peking Gazette“
首次出版的报纸《北京宪报》
Paper money “Flying
Money“
纸币“飞钱”
The Great Wall of China
中国的长城
Acupunctur
e 针刺 Tea
茶

Porcelain and Pottery

瓷器和陶器
 Chinese
Philosophers 中国
哲学家
 Full name: Kong Qiu A. Confucius
Occupation: Chinese philosopher, teacher and political figure 孔子
Born: 551 BC in China, the state of Lu.
Died: 479 BC in China, the state of Lu.
Best known for: Creating the philosophy known as Confucianism.
• Confucius is the Latin form of the Chinese Kung-fu-tze, Kung being
the family name; fu the given name; and tze, the word for Master.

• The death of his mother drove him to despair. He secluded himself

for more than two years. It was during his seclusion that he
formulated much of his philosophy. By putting together the materials
which make up the Five Classics, he became the founder of Chinese
literature.

• Confucius developed his own philosophy which he taught to others.

Today, his philosophy is known as Confucianism. His ideas didn't
become popular until years after his death when they became the
basic philosophy of the Chinese culture for over two thousand years.
Virtues of
Confucius
1. Benevolence or ren ( 仁 ) Confucian Golden
2. Righteousness or yi ( 义 ) Rule
“What you do not want done to you,
3. Propriety or li ( 理 ) do not do to others.”
4. Wisdom or zhi ( 智 )
5. Piety or xiao ( 孝顺 )
6. Loyalty or zhong ( 忠诚 )
 2. The Shin- Ching
3. The Li-Chi
1. The I- Ching (Classic of (Classic of Poetry)
(Classic of Rites)
Changes or Book of
Divination or Oracles)

新清
The Five Classics 荔枝
易经 are:
5. The Ch’un Chiu
4. The Shu-Ching (Spring and Autumn
(Classic of History) Annals) 春秋

淑晴
 The Four Books are:
1. The Analects 3. The
of Confucius ( 论 Doctrine of
语) the Mean
( 中庸之道 )

2. The Book of 4. The Great

Mencius ( 孟子之 Learning
书) ( 伟大的学习 )
 Famous Quotes of
Confucius
“The man who says he can, and the man who says he can not… Are both correct.”
“Your life is what your thoughts make it.”
“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.”
“The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.”
“The journey with a 1000 miles begins with one step.”
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
“You are what you think.”
“If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room.”
“Act with kindness but do not expect gratitude.”
“Worry not that no one knows you; seek to be worth knowing.”
“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.”
“Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes.”
“I slept and dreamt life is beauty, I woke and found life is duty.”
“Roads were made for journeys not destinations.”
“Think of tomorrow, the past can’t be mended.”
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”
 Full name: Laozi
B. Lao Tzu Occupation: Chinese philosopher and teacher
老子 Born: 601 BC in Henan, China
Died: 531 BC in Henan, China
Best known for: Founder Of The Chinese Philosophical ‘School Of The Tao’ Or
‘Taoism’
• The founder of Taoism, was next in fame to Confucius. His name means
“Old Scholar” because of the belief that when he was born he was already
an old man. He taught that anyone could find happiness by following the
“Way of Virtue.”

• His teachings are embodied in “Tao Te King” (Book of the Way of Virtue).
The virtues he preached:
1. Humility, 2. Patience, 3. Self-control.

• After his death, his disciples corrupted his teaching by transforming it into
religion of black magic and superstitions.
Full name: Mèng Kē or Mengzi
Occupation: Chinese Confucian philosopher C. Mencius
Born: 372 BC in Zoucheng, China 孟子
Died: 289 BC in Zoucheng, China
Best known for: Most popular Confucian Philosopher, after
Confucius himself and Teacher.
• The greatest disciple of Confucius, believed that the people had
the right to overthrow a bad government by means of violent
revolution.

• A Chinese sage who developed a tradition of Confucianism

based around the belief that human nature was essentially good
but needed to careful nurturing.

• He said, “He who gains the hearts of the people gains the
throne and he who loses the people’s hearts loses the
throne.”
 Chinese
Literature
中国文学
● Chinese literature generally commences with the Classical Period (600-200 B.C.) which began with the
Chou Dynasty (112-256 B.C.). Chinese literature is extensive which includes, poetry, drama, history,
philosophy, letters, plays, and travel stories.

● Poetry is at the heart of Chinese literature because the rhythm – the harmony of sound – is innate to
Chinese temperament. Buddhism, introduced into China from India during the Han dynasty (206 B.C. –
220 A.D.), created a momentum for literary creativity. The Tang Dynasty (618-907) is considered by the
scholars as the “Golden Age of Chinese Poetry.”

● Ancient literature is a precious cultural heritage of China's several thousand years of civilization. Chinese
literature is one of the major literary heritages of the world, with an uninterrupted history of more than
3,000 years, dating back at least to the 14th century BCE. Its medium, the Chinese language, has retained
its unmistakable identity in both its spoken and written aspects in spite of generally gradual changes in
pronunciation.
 Shang Dynasty (about
1700-1050 BC) — Zhou Dynasty (1045-255
Development of Chinese BC) — Basic Philosophical
Writing and Religious Literature
• The great literary works of philosophy and
● The first dynasty for which there is
religion that became the basis for Chinese
historical record and archaeological
religious and social belief stem from what is
evidence is the Shang Dynasty. called the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476)
and the Warring States Period (475-221).
● The oracle bone script of the Shang
Dynasty represents the oldest form of • Taoism, Confucian literature, and other
Chinese writing yet found, and is a direct prominent religious and philosophical schools
all emerged during these periods.
ancestor of modern Chinese characters.
 Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC)
— Literary Disaster and Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220
Legalism AD) — Scientific and
● Qin Shi Huang, the emperor of Qin, Historical Texts
proclaimed himself the "First Emperor" ( 始皇 • Sima Qian wrote Historical Records that is a major
history concerning the overall history of China. The
帝 ) and imposed reforms throughout China,
book’s prose was considered a model for writers in
notably the forced standardization of the succeeding dynastic eras.
Chinese language, measurements, length of
cart axles, and currency. • Confucianism was revived. Confucian texts were
rewritten and republished.
● It is thought that Li Si taught that human nature
• Cai Lun (50–121) of the imperial court is said to be the
was naturally selfish and that a strong emperor
first person in the world to create writing paper.
government with strict laws was needed for
social order.

.
Tang Dynasty (618-907) Song Dynasty (960-1279) Movable
Printing, Travel Literature, Poetry,
— Early Woodblock Scientific Texts and the Neo-Confucian
Printing and Poetry Classics
• Military technology greatly advanced.
● This era’s main contribution to
Chinese literature was in the poetry • One of the era’s technological accomplishments was the
of Dufu, Li Bai and many other invention of movable type.
poets. • High education in this system was thought to produce nobility.

● Woodblock printing has made • The Five Classics and Four Books were written in the written
tremendous contributions to the Classical Language.
spread of knowledge, insight and
artistic inspiration.
.
 Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) —
Drama and Great Fictional
Novels Ming Dynasty (1368-
● It was an era of some historically renowned dramatic
1644) — Novels
playwrights and novelists who wrote in vernacular
language. • The Chinese rebelled against the
Mongols, and the Ming Dynasty era
began about 1368.
● Shadow puppet plays and dramatic operatic theaters
with human actors speaking. (Zaju). • Novels were the era’s main
contribution. The novel Journey to
● Novels were another outstanding achievement of the the West is one of the great classic
Yuan era. novel in China.

● The Two out Four Great Classic Novels in Chinese

History: Water Margin and The Romance of the
Three Kingdoms..
Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) —
Novels and Pre-modern
Literature Modern Era (1912-present)
● In the 19th century, foreign literature — Westernized Literature
and the West became better known.
• Literature became westernized, and the
● Classical Language wasn’t used.
In the middle of this era, the last of
China’s four great classic novels was • There was a lot of politically oriented
written called Dream of the Red literature printed.
Chamber ( 红楼梦 ).
• Under the national government, there was
● Educated Chinese had easier access to some freedom of expression, and lots of views
foreign literature, and they were more and styles of literature were popular.
influenced by Western culture.
.
 Journey to the West
■ China’s most-treasured novel of the
supernatural.

● Tang Monk and His Three Disciples are the

main characters.

● This beloved adventure tale combines action,

humor, and spiritual lessons. 

● Learning about Traditional China through the

Journey.

- Wu Cheng'en
Chinese
writings
and writers:
The Three Greatest Chinese poets

Li Po ( 李宝 ) Tu Fu ( 杜甫 ) Po Chu-I ( 白居
易)
Li Yian ( 李庆照 ) Pan Ch'ao ( 班 Ssuma Ch'ien ( 司马
超) 迁)
Wang Chien ( 王 Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mao Tse Tung( 毛泽
建) ( 孙逸仙 ) 东)
 Principal Genre of Chinese Poetry:
● Tz’u – is a form of Chinese poetry which became wide-spread during the latter part of the T’ang Dynasty.
Usually sang to the tune of popular songs, the tz’u has a folksong quality and is marked by lines of varying
lengths. The length of the each line is dictated by the tune that the lyric is trying to fit.
● Shik-Shing – a four-syllabic verse made popular by “The Book of Odes.” It is written in quatrains (four-line
stanzas) with the first stanza giving theme which is repeated in the next stanza, and so on, until a climax is
reached.
● Sao – a poem of lamentation and protest.
● Fu – a prose poem that is partially expository and partly descriptive, involving a single thought or sentiment
usually expressed in a reflective manner.
● Lu Shieh” or regulation poetry, an octave (eight lines) consisting of five or seven syllabic verses with a
definite rhyming scheme and characterized by parallelism.
● Chuck- chu or truncated poetry – contains only four lines of twenty to twenty-eight syllables which draw
vivid pictures of natural beauty.
Chinese Poets and
their Poems
Bai Juyi ( 白居
易) Spring Sleep (chūn mián)

The pillow is low, the quilt is warm, the

body lays sleeping peacefully
The sun shines on the door of the room,
the curtain is not yet open.
The youthful scent of spring is still in the
air,
Often it will come to you in your dreams.
Du fu ( 杜甫 ) Rain Clearing (yǔ qíng)

The sky’s water has fallen, and autumn clouds are thin,
The western wind has blown ten thousand miles.
This morning’s scene is good and fine,
Long rain has not delayed farming time.
The row of willows begins to show green,
The pear tree on the hill has little red flowers
A hujia pipe begins to play upstairs,
One goose flies high into the sky.
Du mu ( 杜牧 )
On Parting (zèng bié)

I feel deep love, but always seem heartless,

I think I should laugh during the banquet, but I can
not.
The candle has a heart, so reluctant to part.
It is crying till dawn instead of us.
Li Bai ( 李宝 )
Amusing Myself (zì qiǎn)
Drunk with friends, unaware that it is almost dusk.
Fallen blossom fill my clothes
Drunk, I take a walk along a stream by moonlight,
Birds come back home, few people on the road.
.
Li Yu ( 李煜 )
How many tears? (wàng jiāng nán)
(duō shao lèi)
How many tears cross my cheeks.
I do not speak things of my heart when crying,
Please do not play the phoenix flute when I cry,
I am no doubt extremely sad now.
Mei Yaochen
( 梅尧臣 )
Mourning Loss (dào wáng)
It is 17 years ago since we got married.
It is still not enough to stay with you, how can I afford to lose
you now forever!
Already, the hair on my temples are mostly white, how long
can my body survive?
In the end, we’ll share a tomb; As I’m still not dead, I still can
not help but cry.
Chinese
Prose
 Prose writing in ancient and pre-modern China differed from poetry in that it
was less rigidly structured and wasn't like verses in a song or like one of the
common styles of poetry. But compared to English prose, literary prose before
the year 1900 was often much more formalized. Except for popular novels and
theatrical plays, most of the literary prose works were written in the literary
Classical Language. This Classical Language utilized the grammar and ancient
characters of the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) and of the Han Dynasty
era (206 BC – 220 AD).
● During the Han Dynasty era (206 BC – 220 AD), a more
formalized style of prose writing appeared that was called
Piantiwen or parallel prose style. But in the Tang and
Song eras, people started to write in the less formal and
more ancient style called Guwen of the Warring States
era.

● During the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), the emperor

ordered that all texts other than those of a philosophy
called Legalism and some sciences that he favored be
destroyed.

● During the Han era, people tried to reconstruct and

preserve what was lost.
Chinese Short
Stories
Cowherd and Weaving
Girl
牛郎织女
Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai
梁山伯 和 祝英台
The White Snake
白蛇传
Meng Jiangnu cried the Great
Wall
孟姜女哭长城
Reference:
https://facts.net/world/countries/china-facts/
http://poetrychina.net/poets/pochui
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/tu-fu
https://
www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/literature.htm
https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/cult
ure/history-of-chinese-literature.htm
#
https://www.shenyunperformingarts.org/explore/
view/all
https://ltl-school.com/chinese-novels/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sX5xxXk4II

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