Great Books of China: From Ancient Times to the Present

by Frances Wood

Overview

Great Books of China invites readers to discover—or rediscover—some of the major achievements of Chinese culture and civilization. The literature of China remains largely unknown in the West, yet it offers much insight into Chinese life. The long continuity of Chinese culture means that texts created more than two thousand years ago are still part of the education and background of today's China. Great Books of China introduces outstanding works of various genres, from fiction, drama, and poetry to history, science, and travel; they were written by philosophers and artists, government officials and scholars, by men and women across many centuries and from every part of China. These great books are presented in their historic, cultural, and social context, with a focused summary of content and author.

Beginning with some of the Confucian and Daoist classics and ending with modern fiction, Great Books of China features famous novels including The Water Margin (Shuihu zhuan), Journey to the West (Xiyou ji), and Dream of the Red Chamber (Hongloumeng); celebrated dramas such as The Story of the Lute (Pipa ji) and The Peach Blossom Fan (Taohua shan); poetry from ancient times and the “golden age” of the Tang to the last years of imperial China; renowned historic manuals on Chinese painting, on the construction of Chinese gardens, and on a carpenter’s varied tasks; major texts describing Chinese history, the military exploits of ancient generals, and the legendary journeys of Buddhist monks; and works by a number of modern writers including Lu Xun, Ding Ling, and Lao She.

Concise, provocative, and illuminating, Great Books of China introduces the literature of one of the world's most significant cultures and helps us understand the China of the present and the past.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629190075
Publisher:	BlueBridge
Publication date:	03/01/2017
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Frances Wood, a well-known historian of China and Chinese culture, was for many years head of the Chinese collections at the British Library. She has lectured widely, created exhibitions, and written a number of books including China's First Emperor and His Terracotta Warriors, The Silk Road, and the Blue Guide to China.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Book of Songs Shi Jing

Author Unknown 15

Book of Changes Yi Jing

Author Unknown 21

Classic of the Way and of Virtue Daode Jing

Laozi

Zbuangzi

Zhuangzi 25

Analects Lun Yu

Confucius 29

Mencius Mengzi

Mencius 33

Master Sun's Art of War Sunzi Bingfa

Sun Wu 36

Almanac Tongshu

Author Unknown 39

Proper Ritual Yi Li

Author Unknown 43

The Grand Scribe's Records Shi Ji

Sima Qian 48

Nineteen Old Poems Gu Shi Shijiu Shou

Author Unknown 52

Records of the Buddhist Kingdoms Foguo Ji

Faxian 57

Lotus Sutra Saddharmapundarika Sutra

Author Unknown

Diamond Sutra Vajracchedikaprajnaparamita Sutra

Author Unknown 60

Poems

Li Bai

Poems

Du Fu 64

Poems

Li Shangyin 69

The Story of Yingying Yingying Zbuan

Yuan Zhen

Master Dong's Western Chamber Romance Dong shi Xi Xiang Ji Zhugongtiao

Dong Jieyuan

Romance of the Western Chamber Xi Xiang Ji

Wang Shifu 74

Poems

Li Qingzhao 78

The Orphan of Zhao Zhao Shi Guer

Attributed to Ji Junxiang 82

Three-Character Classic Sanzi Jing

Attributed to Wang Yinglin 86

Twenty-Four Exemplars of filial Piety Ershisi Xiao

Attributed to Guo Jujing 91

The Water Margin Sbuibu Zbuan

Attributed to Shi Naian or Luo Guanzhong 95

The Story of the Three Kingdoms Sangua Zbi

Attributed to Luo Guanzhong 100

The Story of the Lute Pipa Ji

Gao Ming 104

The Classic of Lu Ban Lu Ban Jing

Author Unknown 108

Journey to the West Xiyou Ji

Attributed to Wu Cheng'en 112

Plum in a Golden Vase Jinpingmei

Author Unknown

The Carnal Prayer Mat Ron Putuan

Attributed to Li Yu 116

Travels of Xu Xiake Xu Xiake Youji

Xu Xiake

Tracks of a Wild Goose in the Snow Hongxuan yinyuan Tuji

Linqing 120

The Craft of Gardens Yuan Ye

Ji Cheng 125

Exploitation of the Works of Nature Tiangong Kaiwu

Song Yincxing 129

Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting Jieziyuan Buazhuan

Author Unknown; Preface Li Yu 133

The Peach Blossom Fan Taohua Shan

Kong Shangren 137

Poems/Essays

Yuan Mei 141

Unofficial History of the Grove of Literati Rutin Waishi

Wu Jingzi 146

Three Hundred Tang Poems Tang Shi Sanbai Sbou

Sun Zhu 151

Strange Storks from the Liao Studio Liaozhai Zhiyi

Pu Songling 156

Dream of the Red Chamber Hongloumeng

Cao Xueqin 160

Six Records of a Floating Life Fusheng Liu Ji

Shen Fu 164

Poems

Qiu Jin 168

The Travels of Lao Can Lao Can Youji

Liu E 172

"My Old Home" (in Call to Arms) "Gu xiang (in Naban) Old Tales Retold Gushi Xinbian

Lu Xun 176

Miss Sophie's Diary Shafei Nüshi Riji

Ding Ling 181

Mr. Ma and Son Er Ma

Camel Xiangzi Luotuo Xiangzi

Beneath the Red Banner Zheng Bongqi Xia

Lao She 185

Family Jia

Ba Jin 191

Midnight Ziye

Mao Dun 195

Autobiography of a Girl Soldier Yige Nübing De Zizhuan

Xie Bingying 199

The Man Who Came Home on a Snowy Night Fengxue Ye Guiren

Wu Zuguang 203

Little Black's Marriage Xiao Erhei Jiebun

Zhao Shuli 207

Biography of the First Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang Zhuan

Wu Han 211

Fortress Besieged Wei Cheng

Qian Zhongshu 215

Memories of South Peking Chengnan Jiushi

Lin Haiyin 219

From Emperor to Citizen Wode Qian Ban Sheng

Puyi 223

Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung Mao Zhuxi Yulu

Mao Zedong 227

Half a Lifelong Romance Bansheng Yuan

Lust, Caution Si Rong

Zhang Ailing (Eileen Chang) 230

Mayor Yin Yin xianzhang

Chen Ruoxi (Chen Jo-Hsi) 234

Six Chapters from a Cadre School Life Ganxiao Liu Ji

Yang Jiang 238

Stones of the Wall Ren A Ren!

Dai Houying 242

Chronology 246

Notes 248

Index 256

Editorial Reviews

In...Great Books of China, Frances Wood, a distinguished former curator at the British Library...sets out to fill a gap in Western understanding that is greater than the understanding itself. Her enthusiasm for this selection of key works dating from antiquity to the mid-20th century is catching...[this] is not an anthology of extracts but rather an introduction to their contents—a starting point rather than an end in itself...Some of her choices will feel familiar at least as ideas...There’s much else that’s charming, entertaining or simply quirky...the perfect vade mecum to Chinese writing...” —THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

"An eminent Sinologist synopsizes and comments upon several dozen of China’s most important literary works and in doing so offers a concise yet penetrating cultural history of the Middle Kingdom...Wood’s survey invites readers to consider each work not in isolation but rather as a lens into the vastness and variety of Chinese culture...her expertise in readers' advisory is on full display."—BOOKLIST (starred review)

“The 66 books introduced here by distinguished scholar and author Wood...range in time from antiquity to the present...The entries are uniformly informative and well written...This is an attractive and accessible book...Highly recommended.”—CHOICE

Praise for Frances Wood’s China’s First Emperor and His Terracotta Warriors

“...a text that is wonderfully descriptive not only archaeologically but in reassessing the emperor...”—LIBRARY JOURNAL

“...[Wood’s] close reading of these sources offers fresh insight into a little-known figure and his kingdom...”—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“This is the first biography of the first emperor of China…[an] interesting and informative work...”—BOOKLIST

From the Publisher