When mentioned Chinese literature, you may think of great works such as The Dream of Red Mansion, Sun tzu on the art of war, Romance of Three Kingdoms, of course you will think of the great writers who wrote the books. So many authors have contributed to treasury of Chinese literature. The followings are the most famous ones.
Great patriotic poet-Qu Yuan
Qu Yuan is an official of vast reading in the Period of Warring States. His works include Lisao, Neuf chants, and so on. He advised the king to ally with others to resist aggression from Kingdom of Qin, but was
rejected and exiled. When the capital of his country was broken in by troops of Qin, Qu Yuan plunged into the Milo River to die for his country.Great historian-Sima Qian
Sima Qian is a famous historian and writer in the Western Han Dynasty. His great work Historical Records is a comprehensive history of about 3000 years from the age of Yellow Emperor to the time of Emperor Wu of Han. SimaQian’s father not only imparted knowledge to his son, but also let him to travel around the country to acquire social experience. Sima Qian had made determination to study hard and write great works for later generations. He was removed from his position and underwent brutal torture because of his pleading for Li Ling (Li is a general who surrendered to Xiongnu (an ancient nationality in China) after being defeated). In spite of all the sufferings, he tried to finish the book in sixteen years. He was listed as World Cultural Celebrity in 1956.
Poetic genius-Li Bai
Li Bai is a great romantic poet in Tang Dynasty. Li was a person of manifold abilities. In fact, he was also good at swordsmanship. Subjects of his poems have a wide range. Overlook at Lushan Fall, Looking toward Heaven's Gate, Sailing early from Baidi Town are all master pieces of his. Heyday of Chinese poetry is in Tang Dynasty, and Li Bai is probably the most famous poet in both his time and whole history of China.
Great realist author-Cao Xueqin
Cao Xueqin is a great litterateur in Qing Dynasty. He is a poet and painter. Unfortunately, few of his poems and paintings are preserved up to now. His greatest contribution is The Dream of Red Mansion. This novel is
the acme of ancient novels of China, and has profound influence on novels about families and society in later generations.Master craftsman that model spirit of Chinese people-Lu Xun
Lu Xun is probably the most famous writer in modern China. His works include essay, short stories, commentaries, prose. He also translated lots of foreign works into Chinese. His works have deep effect on Chinese literature after The May 4th Movement. Chairman Mao praised him as great proletarian litterateur, revolutionist, and skipper of Chinese institutional revolution. Chinese people also call Lu as “soul of the Chinese people”. Lu has fought with his pen throughout his life. Diary of Madman, The Scream, Wandering are all his representative works.
Chinese Balzac-Mao Dun
Mao Dun is a political activist and writer. He is one of the precursors of the New Culture Movement. Mao Dun has created large sums of literary works and made very high achievements. His representative work is Midnight, which is a milestone in the development of Chinese modern realistic literature. His memoirs The way I have walked, which is written after the Great Cultural Revolution, has precious value on historical sources. Mao Dun has made tremendous contribution in fostering young writers and promoting intercultural exchange.
Master of “conscience of literature”-Ba Jin
Ba Jin began his creative writing from the late 1920s. After the Great Cultural Revolution, he wrote Caprice recording, which is about 500 thousands words. Ba Jin won Dante Award in Italy and the French Medal of honor. His works have been collected into Collected Works of Ba Jin, and Collection of Translations of Ba Jin. Like Warrior Dan Ke, BaJin burned his heart to give light to others. His sincerity, introspection and melancholy show his conscience as a right-minded Chinese intellectual.
There are many other great authors in China, such as Han Yu (advocate of ancient literature movement), Guan HanQing (a great writer for traditional Chinese operas), Guo Moluo ( poet in modern China). Together with writers mentioned above, they contribute their shares for Chinese literature.