20th Century Chinese Literature

Author: Li Ping / Chen Linqun (editors)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: When we look back at Chinese literature of the last century in the 21st century today, it is clear that this century-long literary development process is one where literature continuously engages with social life and reflects social changes. As a result, it is constantly influenced by politics, and literature and politics have always been in a state of "unraveling but not untangling." The utilitarian nature of literature has also fluctuated throughout. At the same time, it is also clear that this century-long literary development process is one where literature continuously moves toward modernization and undergoes constant self-innovation and self-improvement. Therefore, the development of 20th-century Chinese literature can be simply described as a process from "enlightenment literature" to "literary enlightenment." Looking at the trajectory of Chinese literature in the late 20th century, the 1980s were a period of transition from enlightenment literature to literary enlightenment, moving from one extreme to another. The 1990s, on the other hand, were a period of mutual integration and permeation between the two literary traditions, with literature presenting a complex and diverse face.