Introducing

LITERATURE OF

CHINAIntroducing

OVERVIEW

The name CHINA is derived from the name CH’IN or QIN dynasty that ruled China in ancient times. OTHER NAME: The People's Republic of ChinaAREA: 9,600,000 sq. kmPOPULATION: 1.3 billion (as of 2004)NATIONAL FLAG: Five-Stars-Red-FlagLOCATION: middle and East Asia, bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean

OVERVIEWCHINA

DYNASTIC CYCLE

DYNASTIC CYLCLE

TIMELINE1766-1050 BCE SHANG DYNASTY

1050-256 BCE CHOU DYNASTY

221-206 BCE CH’IN OR QIN DYNASTY

202-20 BCE HAN DYNASTY

581-618 BCE SUI DYNASTY

618-907 BCE TANG DYNASTY

960-1127 SUNG DYNASTY

1271-1368 YUAN DYNASTY

1368-1644 MING DYNASTY

1644-1911 CHING/QING/MANCHU DYNASTY

1911-1949 THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA

1949-present PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

DYNASTIC CYLCLE

SHANG DYNASTY: Emperor Tang

• The first historical dynasty• The dynasty contributed a number of

achievements to civilization. (e.g. bronze metal works)

• Chinese written language was another achievement.

• Developed calendar system that had 360 days and 12 months.

• Slavery was practiced during this dynasty.

CHOU DYNASTY: Emperor Wu-wang

• Emergence of philosophies like Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism.

CH’IN OR QIN DYNASTY: Shih Huang-ti

• Shortest dynasty• Promoted unification and

centralization of government.• Shih Huang-ti ordered mass

killing of scholars and the burning of books, especially those that dealt with Confucianism.

HAN DYNASTY• Expanded the Chinese Empire• It used Confucianism as the

philosophical basis of the empire.• Conducting of Civil Service

Examinations• Buddhism was introduced.• During this dynasty, China continued to

advance culturally and technologically.

SUI DYNASTY: Emperor Wen

• Northern and Southern dynasties were united.• The dynasty ended revolts, assassinations, and the people’s anger towards oppressive imperial measures.

TANG DYNASTY: •  Territorial expansion. • Buddhism temporarily suppressed. • Civil Service examinations based on

Confucianism. • Age of great achievements in

poetry, sculpture and painting. • Invention of magnetic compass and

gunpowder

SUNG DYNASTY• Arts and culture continued to prosper.• China’s economy improved• Confucius’ books became widely known

YUAN DYNASTY: foreign rulers

•  Mongol Dynasty founded by Kublai Khan. •Growing contact with the west. •Confucian ideals discouraged.

MING DYNASTY: • The last dynasty under indigenous

Chinese rule. • Mongols expelled. • Confucianism, civil service

examinations reestablished. • Contact with European traders,

missionaries expanded. Porcelain (famous Ming vases), architecture, the novel and drama flourish.

PEOPLE OF CHINA• CHINESE HAN PEOPLE- With a population of 1159.4 million, the Han Chinese can be found in almost every part of China.• 55 MINORITIES IN CHINA-

are distributed extensively throughout different regions of China.

LANGUAGE IN CHINA• Many dialects

are spoken in China, but Mandarin is the most widely spoken

• 70% of the people in China speak it

• It is the most widely spoken language in the world (100 million people speak it worldwide

Facts about the Chinese Language

• It is nonphonetic-the written form gives no clues to its pronunciation

• There are over 20,000 different characters

• There are four major tones and a “toneless” pitch used. The meaning of a word can change depending on the tone

• They use a base-ten number system (terms for 1 to 10; 11 would be “ten one”)

EDUCATION IN CHINA•China’s literacy rate: (age 15+ who can read and write)total population: 91.6%male: 95.7%female: 87.6%

RELIGION

RELIGION

Taoism :LAO TZU• Daoism• It can be roughly translated into English

as “path”, or “the way” • It is basically indefinable.• It has to be experienced. • It refers to a power which envelops,

surrounds and flows through all things, living and non-living.

• The Tao regulates natural processes and nourishes balance in the Universe.

Buddhism :SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA

• “Teaching of the awakened one”

• Buddhism traveled from India during the Han dynasty

• It is estimated that there are between 280 million to 350 million Buddhists. It is the world’s fifth largest religion.

• 20-25% of China’s population is Buddhist

Confucianism : CONFUCIUS

• Developed from the teaching of Confucius

• System of moral, social, political and religious thought

• Greatly influenced China up until the 21st century

• It is an ethical belief system rather than a religion, and is based upon the concept of relationships

Foundations of Confucianism

Three Principles: （三纲）The king is the master of the

minister; the husband is the master of the wife; the father is the master of the son. These three relationships represent all the relationships in a highly hierarchical society.

CULTURE

CULTURE

•  Chinese tradition of foot binding• Chinese Chopsticks• Chinese knots• Chinese family names• Beijing opera• Chinese Shadow Puppetry

CULTURE

LITERATURE

LITERATURE

• Chinese Literature is extensive because it includes every form of writing

o Books of historyo Political and philosophical disquisitionso tales of marvelsoPlays

LITERATURE

ANALECTS – collection of Confucius’ or Kung-fu-tze’s teachings

- are masterpieces of serenity and insights

LITERATURE

FORMS OF LITERATURE

1.Poetry2.Prose3.Fictions and novels4.Drama and Opera

POETRY• Poetry became China’s major literary achievement.

• The Chinese poets celebrated the delights of nature and pleasures

Li Po or Li Tai-Po

• China’s most popular master• He did not live long enough because he was drowned while attempting to finish “The Moon in the Yellow River”

Tu Fu

•A more refined poet who was Li Po’s favorite

春望国破山河在

城春草木深感时花溅泪 恨别鸟惊心烽火连三月 家书抵万金白头搔更短 浑欲不胜簪

The country is broken, though hills and rivers remain,In the city in spring, grass and trees are thick.Moved by the moment, a flower's splashed with tears,Mourning parting, a bird startles the heart.The beacon fires have joined for three months now,Family letters are worth ten thousand pieces.I scratch my head, its white hairs growing thinner,And barely able now to hold a hairpin.

The most important poetic work produced during the classical period was the Shih Ching (Book of Poetry), an anthology of ancient poems written in four-word verses and composed mostly between the 10th and the 7th centuries BC.

SHIH CHING (SHI JING) 诗经

PROSE From the 6th to the 3d century BC, the first great works of Chinese philosophy appeared. Philosophical writings, e.g. Confucius Analects

Historical writings: one of the representative works is Shi Ji (Records of History 史记 ), by Sima Qian 司马迁 （ 145-90 BC ）

Shi Ji has 103 articles with more than 50,000 Chinese characters.

《史记 秦始皇本纪》 Records of History: Biography of Qing Shihuang

• This opera was extremely popular in the Qing Dynasty court

• It uses a combination of stylized actions like singing, dancing, dialogue and acrobatic fighting to tell a story or present different characters and their happiness, anger, sorrow, surprise, fear and sadness.

DRAMA AND OPERA

FICTIONS AND NOVELS

Four great classical novels:

Journey to the West Dream on Red Chamber Romance of Three Kingdoms Water Margin