History of Ancient Chinese Literature (II): Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Liao, and Jin (Modern Distance Education Series Textbooks)

Author: Leng Chengjin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-03-16
Features: The content of A History of Ancient Chinese Literature (Part II) includes literature from the Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, and Northern and Southern Song dynasties, as well as the Liao, Jin, and Western Xia dynasties. It is designed for students of Chinese and non-Chinese majors in distance education and can also serve as a textbook for ordinary universities. This book incorporates the strengths of traditional textbooks while making corresponding adjustments and arrangements based on current teaching practices. It has the following characteristics:
First, concise and focused. Ancient literature spans thousands of years with extremely rich content, making it difficult to grasp. Based on years of teaching experience, we have selected the essence and key points and presented them in a concise manner.
Second, abundant materials and open perspectives. We have included as many materials as possible, striving to let the materials speak for themselves, while also providing readers with access to the original works to enhance their intuitive understanding. Additionally, we have incorporated valuable new findings in the study of ancient Chinese literature while avoiding conservative, narrow, or biased viewpoints.
Third, comprehensive design with strong practicality. A textbook is a special type of writing that must be convenient and practical for both teaching and learning. Based on teaching practices, we aim to introduce the history of literature in a concise yet comprehensive and clear manner while selecting frequently appearing questions in exams. We have set up three sections: "Chapter Highlights," "Terminology Explanations," and "Discussion Questions" to help students quickly grasp key points and enter the learning state efficiently, as well as to facilitate their review and preparation for exams.
In terms of learning methods, this book guides students to do the following:
First, combine memorization and understanding to systematically grasp A History of Ancient Chinese Literature (Part II). Chinese literature is a course with distinct characteristics—it has a long time span, rich content, and a certain distance from reality, along with language barriers. For ancient literary works, it is not enough to understand the literal meaning; a certain level of appreciation is also required. This determines the learning characteristics of the course: it requires both understanding and memorization. Understanding refers to empathetically imagining the historical context, people's thoughts and emotions, the content and artistic appeal of the works, as well as recognizing the historical status of the authors and works; memorization refers to recalling relevant knowledge about the authors and works. The two are mutually complementary and indispensable.
Second, highlight key points while covering the full scope. A History of Ancient Chinese Literature (Part II) is a crucial stage in the history of Chinese literature, producing many great writers and works, making it occupy a very important position in the history of Chinese literature. These are undoubtedly the key learning points. In the "Chapter Highlights," the key points and passages that should be memorized or familiarized with are clearly marked. During the learning process, students should focus on mastering these key points. Without fully grasping them, it cannot be said that they have studied A History of Ancient Chinese Literature (Part II) well. However, it is also important to note that simply mastering these key points is far from enough. On one hand, exam questions cover a very broad range, nearly all the key points in the course; on the other hand, the content of Chinese literature is rich and diverse, and without a comprehensive grasp, it cannot be said that one has studied the history of literature well. Therefore, highlighting key points while covering the full scope should be one of our important learning methods.
Third, develop the ability to appreciate the artistic atmosphere and styles of literary works such as Tang and Song poetry. One of the important purposes of studying ancient literature is to improve our aesthetic, cultural, and moral qualities. Being able to appreciate the artistic atmosphere and styles of literary works like Tang and Song poetry not only aligns with this purpose but also helps strengthen memorization and deepen understanding. Only by doing so can one truly excel in ancient literature. Therefore, one must enhance their appreciation and comprehension of the artistic atmosphere and styles of these works through repeated reading, recitation, comparison, and reflection.
Fourth, pay attention to question types and answering techniques.
- Terminology Explanation Questions: This type of question requires students to explain some important terms in the course, aiming to assess their level of understanding and mastery of these terms. These terms are briefly summarized or discussed in the book. The difficulty of this type of question lies in grasping the key points, as the content is extensive and covers a wide range. When answering, students should be concise and summarize the key points clearly without elaborating excessively.
- Short Answer Questions: This type of question usually directly asks about single issues related to authors, works, schools, or theories in the course, requiring students to provide concise answers. Most of the questions have ready answers in the book. When answering such questions, students must focus on key points, present clear viewpoints, and skillfully summarize relevant knowledge.
- Essay Questions: This type of question usually directly asks about comprehensive issues related to authors, works, schools, or theories in the course, often focusing on artistic characteristics and their influence or status in the history of literature, or sometimes connecting several stages of literary history. When answering such questions, students must draw on both memorization and understanding, remembering basic materials in literary history while paying attention to understanding, connecting, systematizing, and synthesizing.
Finally, it should be noted that textbooks are highly time-sensitive and must be continuously explored in line with developments to meet practical needs—especially in teaching and exam preparation. However, textbooks must also maintain their independent academic integrity and even serve as a benchmark or core. Balancing these two aspects is not easy. This textbook attempts to explore this issue, but due to its limitations, there are undoubtedly many immature aspects. We sincerely welcome corrections and suggestions from experts.
Author Introduction: Leng Chengjin, male, born in 1962, native of Linyi, Shandong, Ph.D. in Literature. He served as an associate professor and master supervisor at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Renmin University of China, from 1996. From February 1999 to February 2001, he was a visiting professor at Hanshin University in South Korea. He primarily engages in the study of ancient Chinese literature and traditional culture. His main individual works include A History of Chinese Literature and Aesthetics (won the First Prize of the 2000 Excellent Textbook Award for Higher Education by the Ministry of Education), The Tension Between Literature and Culture, The Hermit and Liberation, The Ancient Road of Drinking Songs, and Learning from History (published by Nanhai Publishing House in April 2002; traditional Chinese edition published by Future Publishing House in October 2002). His contributions to ancient literature compilation include Su Shi, Lu You, and A New Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government. He edited One Hundred Banned Novels in China (published by Dazhong Literature and Art Publishing House in September 1999). He has published more than 60 papers in domestic and international journals such as Literary Review and Oriental Studies (South Korea). He independently completed the main results of the 1998 National Social Science Fund project "The Transformation of Chinese Literature from the Mid-Tang to the Northern Song Dynasty."