Chinese literature

Quentin de Madre, Diane Botta, Arthur Puissant, Maxime Lacaille

Chinese literature

I.

Traditional literature

II. Modern Literature III. Literature in Chinese society

I Classical Literature
Confucianism 1.The ods 2.The book of documents 3.The book of rites 4.Book of changes 5.Spring and Autumn annals

I Classical Literature
Legalism : a strict obedience to a legal system is necessary.
1. The law system is to be clear and simple 2. Some strategies must be adopted to keep the power safe and out of tentation. 3. The legislator has a strong power thanks to his position and only thanks to it.

I Classical Literature
Taoism : based on two texts: the dao de jing and the Zhuangzi
2 principles :

1. The dao which can be translated as the way or the flow of things
2. The wu wei that is to say our actions and life among this dao .it relies on the following ethical concept: we must be in harmony with the dao.

I Classical Literature
Mohism :
This school was mostly opposed to confucianism beacuse it relied on: Empiricism:Things are to be analysed from our direct perception and not from an abstract and internal logic. This school question the importance and the legitimacy of rites in society as well as the way we choose our masters According to this school their should chosen by their virtues instead of their ancestors and links with the royal family.

I Classical Literature
School of Ying Yang and logicians : Zhou Yan was the founder of this school which give a metaphysic based on the forces of natures and how their opposition make the world. This school created a physics based on primary elements (fire,water wood.) The logicians gather number of sophists and great dialecticians.Unfortunately many important texts of this school disappeared.

II Chinese modern literature

A. The new culture movement (18951940)

B. Maoist era (1949-1976)

C. Post-Mao era (since 1976)

A. The new culture movement (1895-1940)

End of 19th century/ Beginning of 20th century End of Imperialism Failure of Chinese Republic Western domination and influences. Confucianism seems old-fashioned for scholars (Lu Xun, Chen Duxiu, etc)

A. The new culture movement (1895-1940)

Its goal is to question chinese cultural standards and to impose a new artistic and writing movement based on global and western standards, especially democracy and science:

A. The new culture movement (1895-1940)

A committed artistic movement :
- Traditional culture is questioned and its leads to the May Fourth Movement

- Chinese new wave artists denounced the old order through Fictions, Novels, Newspaper and Poetry

A. The new culture movement (1895-1940)

Leader : Lu Xun (1881-1936)

B. Maos Era
Arts has to serve the people and consequently the ideas advocated by the Party Arts and literature suffered of huge censorship Main movements : socialist realism and revolutionary romanticism.

C. Post Mao Era

Chinese literature is less and less committed (excepted for women condition) Chinese authors are more and more read all over the world and 2 Chinese writers received the Literature Nobel Prize. -Gao Xingjian in 2000 -Mo yan in 2012
Mo Yan, nobel prize for hallucinatory realism

III Literature in Chinese society

A. The Chinese book market B. The Chinese publishing industry

C. Chinese literature and western world D. Online literature

A. The Chinese book market

1990s : opening of the book market
Strong commercialization of literature

Important role of General Administration of Press and Publication

6,8 million books sold in 2006

B. The publishing industry

China is the world largest publisher
7% in Shanghai area

4000 underground publishing factories in China

Lack of national distribution system

C. Chinese literature and western world

A lot of Chinese writers are also translators
Only a small part of chinese literature is translated 2005 : sponsoring program to translate Chinese literature Appeal for foreign titles :
2007 : 9 328 books titles went to China

D. Online literature
All books available online
More than 20 online bookstores

Average price : 2 Yuan

Online stars : Han Han, Guo Jingmng Ratio of pirated books : 2:3 Large number of blogs : 28 million in 2006

Conclusion
Very old roots

Its starting to be known around the world