A Selection of Chinese Literature Through the Ages ((Volume 1 and 2))

Author: Institute of Ancient Chinese Literature, Sichuan Normal University, Selected and Annotated
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-04-01
Features: The development of ancient Chinese prose can be broadly divided into three historical stages: the Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties; the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties; and the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming/Qing dynasties. Prose from these three stages exhibits distinct characteristics in both ideological content and artistic form. The period of the Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties (before the 2nd century AD) was the mature stage of ancient Chinese prose. The late Zhou, Spring and Autumn, and Warring States periods (approximately 8th to 3rd centuries BC) were a time of great transformation in ancient Chinese history. The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties (3rd to 6th centuries AD) were a period of development and change in ancient prose. The Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming/Qing dynasties (7th to 19th centuries AD) were the period when ancient prose was standardized.