Lu xun

One of the well praise authors of modern Chinese literature is Lu Xun as known as Father of
Chinese literature. Lu Xuns literary work often reflects the living experience in China during
the decline of Qing dynasty and the rise of the Republic of China. His writing styles are
emotional and sarcastic. Those who read his stores often quoted it as unforgettable. Many readers
often mentioned that his stories consisted of difficult Chinese phrases, allusions to Chinese
Classics, and historical references, his stories are too important not to read.

"A Madman's Diary" (Chinese: ; pinyin: Kungrn rj)

is a short story published in 1918 by Lu Xun, a Chinese writer. It was the first and most
influential modern work written in vernacular Chinese in the republican era, and would become a
cornerstone piece of the New Culture Movement. It is placed first in Call to Arms, a collection of
short stories by Lu Xun. The story was often referred to as "China's first modern short story".[1]
This book was selected as one of the 100 best books in history by the Bokklubben World
Library.

The diary form was inspired by Nikolai Gogol's short story "Diary of a Madman", as was the
idea of the madman who sees reality more clearly than those around him. The "madman" sees
"cannibalism" both in his family and the village around him, and he then finds cannibalism in the
Confucian classics which had long been credited with a humanistic concern for the mutual
obligations of society, and thus for the superiority of Confucian civilization. The story was read
as an ironic attack on traditional Chinese culture and a call for a New Culture.

The best way to gain a deeper understanding of the culture of a foreign country is to read its literature.
Chinese literature has a history of thousands of years and is characterized by a long tradition of realism
that depicts Chinese society and the values of its people in different epochs.

Top 10.Moment in Peking (simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: Jng Ha Yn Yn)

Moment in Peking is a historical novel set in 20th century China. Written in English by the
Chinese American author Lin Yutang, it covers the turbulent events from the Boxer Uprising in
1900 to the Anti-Japanese War of 1938.

The author tries not to be overly judgmental of his characters. There are no absolutely good or
bad characters; each holds a piece of the truth as well as illusion.

In the preface, Lin writes that "This novel is merely a story of... how certain habits of living and
ways of thinking are formed and how, above all, [men and women] adjust themselves to the
circumstances in this earthly life where men strive but gods rule."
When the novel was published in the United States at the end of 1939, it sold 50,000 copies in
just six months. TIME magazine said "it may well become the classic background novel of
modern China."

#9. Li Bai 's Poetry (simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: L Bi Sh J)

Li Bai (701-762), sometimes known as Li Po or Li Bo, was one of the great poets of the Tang
Dynasty along with Du Fu and Wang Wei.

A great traveler who wrote wherever he happened to be, Li Bai was known for his great love of
drinking, extravagant imagination and the striking imagery of his poetry.

Over 1,000 poems attributed to Li Bai remain today. His themes are universal -- the joys of
reunion, the sorrows of parting, the majesty of mountains and oceans, birth, aging, death, and all
aspects of life.
While the poet's works have been read for centuries in China, they did not reach a Western
audience until a French translation appeared in 1862. In 1901, H.A. Giles produced an English
translation, and in 1915 Ezra Pound contributed to the popularization of Li Bai in the West with
his free translations in the collection called "Cathay".

#8.Lasting Words to Awaken the World (simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: Jng Sh Hng
Yn)

Lasting Words to Awaken the World is a collection of 40 short stories based on earlier story-
tellers' notes, compiled and rewritten by Feng Menglong 500 years ago.

The tales are about love, loyalty and sacrifice, corrupt officials and landlords, and conflicts
within feudal families.

Vividly depicted, clear-cut characters and compact structure make this collection a wonderful
depiction of the urban life of the time, and its message remains relevant today.
#7.Romance of Three Kingdoms (simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: Sn Gu Yn Y)

Romance of Three Kingdoms is the most popular historical fiction epic in Asia. It is a literary
masterpiece focusing on a long and impressive history of dynastic change which is summed up
in the first sentence of the novel: The Empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must
divide.

Written by Luo Guanzhong 600 years ago and based upon events in the turbulent years at the
end of the Han Dynasty, the novel depicts a fascinating dynastic cycle from the fall of the Han
Dynasty to the division of the Empire into three competing kingdoms through to the
reunification of the empire by the Jin Dynasty. The novel spans 113 years of Chinese history,
starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the empire in 280.

Considered by some as the greatest novel ever written, it involves military conflict and a flesh-
and-blood game of risk played out on the entire land of China. There are many encounters
between fierce warriors, accounts of intrigues and brilliant military strategies, but ultimately the
novel is about human motivation, loyalty, and greed for power.
There are two popular English translations, by C.H. Brewitt-Taylor and Moss Roberts.

Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: Lio Zhi Zh Y)

Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio is a collection of 491 supernatural tales written in Classical
Chinese during the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The author, Pu Sonling, is acknowledged
as one of the masters of the short story along with Guy de Maupassant and Anton Chekhov.

In his tales of shape-shifting spirits, ghosts, bizarre phenomena, haunted houses and enchanted
objects, Pu pushes the boundaries of human experience and enlightens as he entertains. Moral
purposes are often inverted between humans and the supposedly degenerate ghosts or spirits,
resulting in a satirical edge to some of the stories.

With elegant prose, witty wordplay, and subtle charm, the nearly five hundred stories in this
collection reveal a world in which nothing is as it seems, and the boundary between reality and
the odd or fantastic is blurred.
Translations into different languages are available worldwide. Austrian novelist Franz Kafka
admired these tales in translation and described them as "exquisite".

The Art of War (simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: Sn Z Bng F)

The Art of War is one of those rare works that transcend time. Though it was written more than
2,000 years ago, it is remains arguably the most important work ever written on the subject of
strategy.

Written by the brilliant Chinese named Sun Wu, The Art of War was intended for the military
elite of his time.

However, his treatise would later be absorbed by other leaders including Mao Zedong, General
Vo Nguyen Giap, Baron Antoine-Henri Jomini, and General Douglas MacArthur, all of whom
claimed to have drawn inspiration from the work.
The Art of War is composed of 13 chapters, each of which is devoted to one aspect of warfare.
The text is pragmatic and universally applicable to any situation that requires absolute victory.
It has been adopted as a bible by shrewd business leaders of the 21st century. English versions
are available worldwide.

A Dream of Red Mansions (simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: Hng Lu Mng)

A Dream of Red Mansions, also referred to as The Story of the Stone, is another of the four great
Chinese novels. Written by Cao Xueqin sometime in the middle of the 18th century, it is
generally acknowledged to be the pinnacle of classical Chinese novels and has had a profound
influence on later generations.

The masterpiece is comprised of 120 chapters, only the first 80 of which were written by Cao
Xueqin. The work was completed by Gao E. A Dream of Red Mansions is believed to be semi-
autobiographical, mirroring the fortunes of the author Cao Xueqin's own family. As the author
explains in the first chapter, it is intended as a memorial to the women he knew in his youth:
friends, relatives and servants.

The novel is remarkable not only for its huge cast of characters and psychological scope, but
also for its precise and detailed observation of the life and social structures typical of the 18th-
century Chinese upper class. It has generated a huge volume of scholarship, and has given rise
to its own specialized field of study known in China as Redology. Probably the finest English
translation is by the husband and wife team of Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang.

Journey to the West (simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: X Yu J)

Journey to the West was written by Wu Cheng'en in the 1570s and is based on the epic journey
of the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang (602 664) to India to collect Buddhist scriptures.

The novel revolves around Xuanzang's mythical disciple - the impetuous and powerful Monkey
King, Sun Wukong - who captures readers' hearts with his bold, rebellious and mischievous
personality. Wu Cheng'en's version of the story is a thinly-disguised satire on Chinese society.
Tales from the Journey to the West are part of growing up for all children in China and
throughout East Asia. One reason for the novel's enduring popularity is that it works on multiple
levels: it is an adventure story, a source of spiritual insight, and an extended allegory in which
the group of pilgrims journeying toward India stands for the individual journeying toward
enlightenment. An abridged translation by Arthur Waley, called Monkey, is regarded as one of
the best English translations. There is also an excellent complete version in three volumes by
Professor William Jenner.

Outlaws of the Marsh (simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: Shu H Zhun)

Outlaws of the Marsh, also known as The Water Margin or All Men Are Brothers is one of the
four great Chinese classic novels together with The Dream of the Red Chamber, Journey to the
West and Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Written by Shi Nai'an more than 600 years ago, Outlaws of the Marsh is based on the story of
the outlaw Song Jiang and his 36 companions, and details the trials and tribulations of 108
outlaws during the Song Dynasty. It has been compared to the tales of Robin Hood.

Full of legendary stories, the novel describes in vivid and expressive language a total of 787
characters, more figures than any other novel in the world.

There have been many translations of the work, including versions by Pearl Buck and Sidney
Shapiro, an American Jewish scholar who later took Chinese nationality.

Analects (simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: Ln Y)

The Analects, also known as the Analects of Confucius, is the fundamental text of
Confucianism.
It is a collection of the sayings of the great Chinese thinker and philosopher Confucius as
recorded by his students and, in turn, by their followers during the Spring and Autumn (770 BC
- 446 BC) and Warring States periods (475 BC - 221 BC).

Some of the 20 chapters of the Analects were translated into Latin by Western Christian
missionaries in the late 16th century. The work has since been translated into many languages,
most notably into English by James Legge, Arthur Waley, Charles Muller, and William Edward
Soothill.

Wide-ranging and profound, concise yet comprehensive, the Analects was regarded as a
textbook on how to live by the Chinese people, and continues to have enormous influence on
Chinese and East Asian thought and values.

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