China Legend

Author: Lin Yutang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-08-01
Features: This book is another typical work by Lin Yutang introducing Chinese culture to the West. It includes 20 of the most famous ancient Chinese novel masterpieces, categorized into six major genres based on the nature of the stories: Mystery and Adventure, Love, Ghosts and Monstrosities, Satire, Fantasy and Humor, and Fairy Tales. The main themes of these short stories are to depict human nature, strikingly and incisively, either deepening readers' understanding of life or evoking human empathy, love, and compassion, thereby providing readers with a sense of joy. It is one of the must-read classical literary masterpieces for readers. Each story included in the book is a renowned masterpiece of Chinese short fiction, though there are certainly more masterpieces beyond these. Since this book was written for Western readers, the selection and revision were subject to limitations. Due to themes, materials, or fundamental differences in society and era, some masterpieces could not be revised and thus were excluded. The selected stories are all general in nature, suitable for the main themes of modern short fiction. The purpose of short fiction is to depict human nature, strikingly and incisively, either deepening readers' understanding of life or evoking human empathy, love, and compassion, thereby providing readers with a sense of joy. Fiction should be accessible, without fundamentally incomprehensible elements, and should not require excessive explanation to achieve its intended purpose. In the selected stories of this book, some are set in distant and ancient backgrounds, though they have exotic flavors and unique beauty, they are free of barriers and obscurity. Humans have always enjoyed listening to beautiful stories since ancient times, and this is true worldwide, including in China. In the Zuo Zhuan (approximately 3rd century BCE) and the Records of the Grand Historian (1st century BCE), some stories vividly depict characters and conflicts. In the 18th century, there were many records of supernatural events, but they were all superficial. The art form of the short story truly began in the Tang Dynasty (particularly in the 8th and 9th centuries). These fully artistic short stories are known as chuanshu, which are typically short, usually under a thousand words, written in classical style, powerful and extraordinary, able to greatly stimulate thought. Later imitations could never match them. Rewriting them in modern language and extending the stories...