Chinese Modern Literature is a record of an uninterrupted history of more than 3,000 years, dating back at least to the 14th century BC. Based on luxuriant culture, Chinese Modern literature developed flourishingly.

The history of Chinese Modern Literature is divided into four parts based on the change in time. In every period, the character of literature appears differently. Due to the changing in society, the developments of literature are not stable.

Late Qing Period

It was believed that modern Chinese literature erupted suddenly in the New Culture Movement. However, the origin of modern literature should date back to the late Qing period. At this time, a lot of translated works of Western expository writing and literature were introduced into China, which enriched the readers’ ideas. Most outstanding works were the translations of Yan Fu and Lin Shu. Affected by this atmosphere, preferred to write fictions, especially after the 1905 abolishment of the civil service examination. The content of those fictions focused highly on the temporal social problems.

content of those fictions focused highly on the temporal social problems. Therefore, there was a rapid growth of fictions in the late Qing. Some of the important novelists of the period include Wu Woya, Li Boyuan, Liu E, and Zeng Pu. To mix the Chinese operatic drama with Western-style spoken drama, a new style of drama emerges which was the “civilized drama”. However, Peking opera and "reformed Peking opera" were also popular at the time.

Not a long time after the fall of Qing dynasty, literati was adopted to popular fiction love stories, written both in the classical language and in the local language. An example of a love story is the famous “Mandarin Ducks and Butterfly”. However, critics have criticized the fiction by saying that it is escaping from the real society and the social problems. Then, in the New Culture

Movement, the local language was largely expressed in all areas of literatureand writing. Hu Shi, a leader of this movement once said, "A dead language can never produce a living literature." Therefore, they insisted on using local language rather than classical language in hoping to improve the Chinese literature. The used of local languages also affected in the poetry sector, such as free verse and the sonnet. Modern poetry flourished especially in the 1930s, with famous poets Zhu Xiang, Dai Wangshu, Li Jinfa, Wen Yiduo, and Ge Xiao.

Affected by May 4th radicalism, educations advocated the equality of men and women, therefore, a large emergent of women writers. The women authors’ works mainly focused on the domestic issues such as relations between sexes, family, and friendship. However, they were revolutionary in giving direct expression to female subjectivity.

Lu Xun, the most excellent author during that time, was a leader of The League of Left-Wing Writers which was founded in the year 1930. By 1932 it had adopted the Soviet doctrine of socialist realism; which means that art must concentrate on contemporary events in a realistic way, exposing the ills of temporal society and promoting a glorious future under communism.

In 1942, Mao Zedong gave a series of lectures called "Talks at the Yan'an Forum on Art and Literature" that made literature to service for politics via the

Yan'an Rectification Movement. This lead to another era of literature called “Maoist Era”. Maoist Era also became a national guideline for culture after the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

After 1949 socialist realism, based on Mao's famous 1942 "Yan'an Talks on Literature and Art," became the uniform style of Chinese authors whose works were published. Conflict, however, soon developed between the government and the writers. The open atmosphere of literary creation enables literari to satirize and expose the evils in contemporary society. Even more unwelcome to

the party was the persistence among writers of what was deplored as "petty bourgeois idealism," "humanitarianism", and an insistence on freedom to choose subject matter. This conflict came to a head in the Hundred Flowers Campaign. At this time, the government increased its insistence on the use of socialist realism and combined with it revolutionary realism and revolutionary romanticism. Authors were permitted to write about contemporary China, as well as other times during China's modern period--as long as it was accomplished with the desired socialist revolutionary realism. During the Cultural Revolution, the repression and intimidation led by Mao's fourth wife, Jiang Qing, succeeded in drying up all cultural activity except a few "model" operas and heroic stories. Although it has been learned that some writers continued to produce in secret, during that period no significant literary work was published.

Post-Mao (1976–present)

Following Mao Zedong's death in 1976 and Deng Xiaoping's consolidation of power in 1979, strict literary freedoms were relaxed. Despite a crackdown on "bourgeois liberalism" and "spiritual pollution," writing continued to flourish in the 1980s. Many workers struggled with general social issues, such as official corruption and overcrowding; feminist issues were treated in novels by women

writers. During that time, the reportage literature, a hybrid of journalism and fiction became very popular. Novelists experimented with stream of consciousness and other narrative techniques, while the Misty School of poets developed a fusion of various modernist styles. There was a strike on Chinese literature after the massacre of prodemocracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square. Many writers fled China fearing the government reprisals for their support on the democracy movement. Many of the writers continued to write while in exile and publishing their works in literary journals in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and overseas.

After the liberal 1980s, the 1990s saw a strong commercialization of literature due to an opening of the book market. According to Martin Woesler trends were “cult literature” with Guo Jingming, Cry me a sad river, “vagabond literature” with Xu Zechen, Peking double quick, Liu Zhenyun, The pickpockets, “underground literature” Mian Mian, Panda Sex, “l(fā)onging for something” literature, divided in historicizing literature with Yu Dan, Confucius in your heart, and in Tibetan literature with Alai, literature of the mega cities, women's literature with Bi Shumin, The female psychologist, etc.

important role. Almost all books are available online. Online literature stars came out, amongst Han Han, Guo Jingming, etc.Chinese language literature also flourishes abroad. China is the largest publisher of books, magazines and newspapers in the world. Even though in the year 2000 Gao Xingjian lived France, he still continued to write primarily in Chinese. He became the first Chinese writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Who are modern Chinese writers?

Lu Xun, the harbinger and master of modern literature, composed the Madman's Diary, which was the first work set completely in exoteric language and which sharply revealed the essence of society. The True Story of Ah Q is considered to be his finest novel and built up the image of spiritual anesthesia in both Chinese and world literature. He must be the most respected writer in

China, with his pens as arms to fight against the imperialism and feudalism.

Lao She was skillful in utilizing the Peking dialect two of his masterpieces are Camel Xiangzi and the drama Tea House which reflect the helplessness of the lower classes in the old China.

Bing Xin, a literary woman, is known for her morbidezza style of writing. As she writing style ia like painting a picture with the finest and most tender detail. From her works you can get an insight of mother love and innocence.

Lin Yutang wrote many essays. After settling in America, he created the novel Moment in Peking, and won the nomination for the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Xu Zhimo, a much traveled lyric poet, expressed his feelings of longing for the days when he was at Cambridge University in his evocative poem Second Farewell to Cambridge. Breaking with many of the conventions of the poetic form he returned to them in his later works prior to his untimely death was in an air accident in 1931.

Modern Chinese literature originated from the late Qing dynasty then flourished in the new literature. With some break down, it welcomed a new future after 1980s. Modern literature in China was born and developed during great revolutionary storms then joins contemporary world literature as a further advanced and rational expression.