“文学是历史和社会的一面镜子”，光辉灿烂的中国文学横贯三千年的岁月，铸就华夏民族华赡沉厚的文化认同。中国文学关乎人伦日用，关乎政治教化，与民众的精神生活息息相关。中国人讲求“天人合一”，相信人伦日用的根本与天理相通，不同时代影响中国文化和社会生活的文学家及文学作品，所想象和关注的是整个宇宙，是历史，是普通民众的悲辛，从而造就了中国文学“为天地立心”、“为万民请命”的大气象。

Chinese literature, spanning over three thousand years, has well shaped the splendid and profound cultural identity of the Chinese people. Chinese literature is of immediate practical use from its source. It concerns human relationships and everyday life as well as political education. Moreover, it is closely related with the spiritual life of the people. The Chinese people strive for the harmony of man:with nature, firmly believing that the foundation of human relationships and everyday life is in communion with the heavenly principles. What the geniuses in the field of literature aspire to know and concern themselves with are the whole universe, history, and the bitter sorrow of the common people. All these are the great splendors in the tradition of Chinese literature.

Foreword

PART ONE: ANCIENT CHINESE LITERATURE by Yao Dan

The Book of Songs: The Earliest Anthology of Poetry

 "Folk Songs of 15 Regions" ("Guofeng")

 The Epic of the Western Zhou People

Prose Writings of Various Schools of Thought during

 the Spring and Autumn andthe Warring States Period:

 Models for Prose Writings

 Tao Te Ching

 The Analects

 Mencius

 Zhuangzi

Qu Yuan: A Romantic Lyricist

 Qu Yuan

 The Lament on Encountering Sorrows

Records of the Historian: The First and Last Work by Historians, Li Sao without Rhyme

 Pre-Qin Historical Books

 About Records of the Historian

 The Characterization in Records of the Historian

 History and Literature

Literature in the Wei and Jin Period: The Vigorous

 and Powerful Style of Jian'an Literature and Tao

 Yuanming

 Li Bai and Du Fu: The Two Summits of Tang Poetry

Li Bai Romantic Genius Poet

Du Fu A Compassionate Sage Poet

 Ci Poetry: Poems That Can Be Sung

Su Shi

Li Qingzhao

Xin Qiji

 Two Outstanding Playwrights of the Yuan Opera: Guan

Hanqing and Wang Shifu

Guan Hanqing

Wang Shifu

 Classical Fictions in Chapter-titled Style in the Ming

Dynasty: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Outlaws of the Marsh and Journey to the West

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Outlaws of the Marsh

Journey to the West

Strange Tales from Make-Do Studio: Short Stories of the Qing Dynasty

A Dream of Red Mansions: The Pinnacle of Classical Literature

PART TWO: MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY CHINESE LITERATURE

 by Deng linhui, Wang Feng & Tang Huiyun

Lu Xun: Founder of New Vernacular Literature

 The Transformation of Literature

 Lu Xun

Modern Fiction: Echo of the Times

 Mao Dun and Modern Fiction

 Ba ]in and His "Torrent Trilogy"

 Lao She and "Beijing Style" Citizen Fiction

 "Beijing School" and "Shanghai School"

New Poetry: Finding a Voice of Their Own

 New Poetry: Finding a Voice of Their Own

 Guo Moruo: A Destroyer and a Creator

 Ai Qing: A Singer of the Land and the Sun

 Mu Dan: Richness vs. Rich Suffering

Modern Drama: Birth and Maturing

Literature in the New Era: Reflections, Root-seeking and Explorations

 Memories of the Historical Wounds

 Root-seeking and Countryside Literatui

 Avantgarde Novels

 Writings of the Neo-realism

 Trend of New Poetry

Present-day Literature: writings for the Public

 New Historical Novels: Voices of Individuality

 Cultural Prose: A New Literary Style

 Youth Writing: Keeping Abreast with Fashion

 Movie-TV Literature and Cyber-literature: Another Wing of Literature

Appendix: Chronological Table of the Chinese Dynasties