Novels ~(Index of Site)~
--2nd alien dynasty,much hated by the Chinese for the same reasons as they hated the Mongols
--ruled by Manchu invaders from Manchuria,we see a final stage of ancient literature that would be entirely different from the new literature of the 20th century
--novels further developed while poetry remained a genre
--Ching porcelain follows the Ming pattern but not only blue-white combinations are used.Porcelain of this period are not restricted only to a 2 color combinations,but includes also porcelain of only 1 color,without any white.The 2 pictures of porcelain seen on this page are evidence of carrying on with the Ming style.
--the potrait of the 10th & last emperor of the Ching dynasty,Henry-Pu Yi,taken at a young age,can be seen later on this page.He is also known as the last emperor of China.The characteristic pigtail ('bian-zhi') of the Manchus/people of the Ching dynasty is the hairstyle donned by him.The end of Ching rule is celebrated by the cutting off of these 'queues' with the success of the 1911 Wuchang Revolution under the leadership of Dr Sun Yat-sen.
1.'The Dream of the Red Chamber' ('Hung Lou Meng' ):
--known also as 'Shi-tou Ji' ('The Story of the Stone')
--written by Tsao Chan,better known as Tsao Xue-qin (1715-1763),it is the 4th of the 4 greatest Chinese novels
--tragic love story of the nobleman's son Jia Pao Yu (Treasured Jade) & his cousin of low birth Lin Daiyu (Black Jade) that ended in their deaths.
--condemms Conservatism that is doomed to fail,hints at the impossibility of genuine love,with love destroyed by the traditional marriage & family systems,lust,jealousy & possessiveness
--complex plot with many episodes,with the most characters to be ever created in Chinese literature
--outstanding novel of character,as well as a novel of pyschological realism that offers complex themes dealing with philosophy & psychology
--language is far more expressive & polished than most other traditional Chinese novels
--framed narrative conveying an intelligent & consistent vision of life.
--written in a highly expressive colloquial style,it skilfully reveals the personalities of various characters through a variety of means,including dialogue,contrasts & the use of dreams & poetry & more.
--it is still the most translated & studied of all the classical Chinese novels in the West.
2.
'Strange Tales of Liao Zhai' ('Liao Zhai Zhi-I'):
--written by Pu Song-ling (1640-1715)
--a wide range of content:many individual short stories of the strange,mysterious,magical & supernatural
with a tinge of romance & heroic acts
--celebrates the fight against conservatism,tyranny of the upper classes & the need for the govt to reform
--language is full of archaic beauty
