The Ming and Qing Dynasties
The Ming and Qing Dynasties were the prosperous periods in the history of Chinese novels. From the Ming Dynasty, novel as a literary form fully displayed its social functions and literary values. Breaking the monopoly by orthodox verses, it achieved an equal 
position with poems of the Tang Dynasty, ci works of the Song Dynasty and qu works of the Yuan Dynasty in the literary history. The Qing Dynasty was the period when classical Chinese novels started to fall after reaching the zenith and transit to modern novels.
Novels of the Ming Dynasty can be mainly divided into two categories, namely vernacular short novels and full-length novels. By subjects and contents, full-length novels of the Ming Dynasty can be generally divided into four types, namely historical novels, novels of gods and spirits, secular novels and legal case novels. The representative works include Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margins, Journey to the West and Plum in a Golden Vase, etc. The vernacular short novels of the Ming Dynasty further developed vernacular novels of the Song and Yuan Dynasties. Especially in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, as business economy became more active, mind went opener, 
and the printing industry thrived, vernacular short novels made striking progress from compilation to creation in the transformation from oral literature to written literature. Represented by three collections of short stories edited by Feng Menglong, namely Stories to Enlighten the World, Stories to Warn the World and Stories to Awaken the World, and two volumes of Amazing Stories edited by Liu Mengchu, a number of varied collections of short novels emerged, presenting a scene of prosperity.
The class contradictions, national contradictions and contradictions in the cultural and ideological field in the Qing Dynasty profoundly affected the creation of novels. The period from the early Qing Dynasty to the Qianlong period was a golden era for novels of the Qing Dynasty. Great progresses were made in quantity, content, form, style and school. Novels of the Qing Dynasty were mainly created by literati. Although the literati borrowed ideas from historical and legendary materials, most of the works were based on the reality. They fully embodied the authors’ wishes and became more and more mature in structure, narration and figure depiction. The Strange Tales of a Lonely Studio and the Dream of Red Mansions of the Qianlong period respectively pushed classical Chinese novels and vernacular novels to the peak. During the late Qing Dynasty, influenced and driven by the “fictional revolution” launched by Liang Qichao, the literary position of novels was 
enhanced to an unprecedented level. Also thanks to the great progress of printing technique and the rapid development of a number of neo-type publishing organizations and the modern press industry, novel creation and translation came to an unprecedented prosperity. Better and more influential works of this period include Record of Revelation of Officialdom by Li Boyuan, Strange Events of the Last Twenty Years by Wu Jianren, Mr. Decadent by Liu E and A Flower in the Sea of Sins by Zeng Pu. The four novels are called the “four greatest condemnation novels of the late Qing Dynasty”.
Yuan dynasty
Ruled by the Mongols,it is the first alien (non-Chinese/barbaric) dynasty in China.The first alien ruler of the whole of China (for the first time ever in history) is Kublai Khan,grandson of the brutal conquerer,Genghis Khan who managed to infiltrate Mongol power all the way till parts of Europe,including Russia.The potrait below at the end of this page is Kublai Khan.Alienated the Chinese due to harsh rule & racial/cultural differences.Although termed by the Chinese as the ‘bleakest era’,the greatest literary achievement is in drama.
Sung dynasty
Sung dynasty is much weaker than the previous ones,with no more expansion.It is divided into 2 sub-periods:Northern Sung (960-1127 AD) & Southern Sung (1127-1279 AD) with constant attacks from the barbaric tribes of Central Asia in league often with ambitious Sung officials.Because of the variety of suspense & intrigue in politics, they become folk stories & are passed down from generations to generations, that are the source for the setting of Chinese movies,tv serials,& operatic drama.The famous impartial judge Justice Pao/Bao lived during the Northern Sung period & his adventures have survived for ages till now to be celebrated by people.
–Northern Sung existed with the Liao dynasty of the fierce alien Khitans,who threatened China’s borders.The invasions of the Liao dynasty crumbled the Northern Sung dynasty,as it took over the northern part of China,forcing the emperor to retreat to the South,establishing Southern Sung dynasty.
–Eventually,Liao dynasty was crushed by the alien Jurchens,who formed the Jin dynasty in the North
–Meanwhile,Southern Sung existed along side with the Jurchens & the state of Hsi-Hsia of the alien Tanguts in the west,who were eyeing Chinese territories.The division of China into 3 separate kingdoms weakened China & Chinese authority.Later the Mongols came & conquered all 3 kingdoms to form the Yuan dynasty.
Tang dynasty
China is a country rich in poetry. The poetic tradition developed from Shijing, “The Book of Songs” and Chuci, “Elegies of Chu”, and got its peak during the Tang Dynasty, an empire of civilization and prosperity. Poets left imperial palaces and noble’s manors, and threw themselves into a big world. They traveled to famous mountains and rivers, and to the frontier’s deserts and wastelands where they sang to their hearts’ content.Tang Dynasty poets had sang for three centuries in different tones. They included many prominent poets living in the Tang period, such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi and Li Shangyin.
“Poems of the Tang Dynasty” edited in the Qing Dynasty has collected more than 48,900 poems that were written by over 2,200 poets. But it didn’t cover all the poems of the Tang Dynasty.
During the Tang Dynasty poems were recited when lovers walked under the moonlight. Poems were also recited when soldiers fought on the battlefield. People recited them in the open air or at temple fairs.
Tang Dynasty poets wrote poems to win their fame and also to mould their temperament. They poured out deep feelings for their friends and criticised injustice in the world through poems.
In the Tang Dynasty scholars must be poets. The nobility and common people were their readers. Poets recited poems, songstresses sang poems and other ranks of people, including old women and children, could also read some Tang poems. The atmosphere had affected those foreigners who visited the country at that time. As a result, Tang poetry was introduced to some adjacent countries. Sentimental people were overwhelmed with admiration for it.
Tang poetry serves as a most brilliant page in the history of ancient Chinese literature. It’s a miracle in the history of culture of mankind. The Tang Dynasty was a powerful empire with a vast territory. It inherited Chinese civilization that went back to ancient times, blended with the cream of other ethnic peoples and adopted the benefits of other nations in the world.
Tang poetry wasn’t the only spiritual wealth created by the Tang Dynasty people. Philosophy and religion, building and sculpture, calligraphy and painting, and music and dance all gained their peaks in development. Tang poetry was a symbol of these creations and a spiritual emblem of the time.
It has become a way of life that has affected the Chinese people for generations
Culture Expert 