11. Tang Prose and Fiction
Prose started very early in China. In the Book of History there
are articles that may have been written during the Shang dynasty, or
more than three thousand years ago. During the Spring and Autumn
and Warring States period, there was a rapid development of prose.
Many writers appeared and important prose works were written.
These works fall into two main types: historical and philosophical.
Among the former are the Zuo Zhuan (Commentary on the Spring
and Autumn Annals by Zuo Qiuming), Conversations from the
States, and Stratagems of the Warring States. Among the latter are
the Analects, the Mencius, the Zhuang Zi, the Xun Zi, the I-lan
Fei Zi, and so on. (The Lao Zi is written in verse. )
The blossoming of prose during this period was mainly due to
two factors: the great social changes happening at the time and the
emancipation of people's thought. Both the social order and the polit-
ical structure were then in a process of change and, as a result, peo-
ple, especially scholars, had all kinds of new ideas and beliefs. These
provided rich material for the historians and the philosophers, who
usually wanted to express their views.
The prose works of this period are rich in content and expressive
in language. In narration they describe facts in a vivid way; in pre-
senting views they are logical and forceful. This tradition in writing
was carried on by the early Han historians and writers like Sima
Qian, whose Records of the Grand Historian is not only a great his-
torical work, but also excellent literary writing.
In the periods that followed, especially the Six Dynasties (Wei,
Jin, Song, Qi, Liang and Chen), there was a new trend in prose:
many writers paid more attention to form than content. They used
very ornate and artificial language, with many balanced sentences.
Such works are usually poor in content, for they express few serious
or important ideas. At the beginning of the Tang dynasty, prose of
this kind was still written by many people, though a few writers had
begun to criticize it.
It was Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan who started a movement to
change this prose style, and they succeeded in changing it. Han Yu
(768- 824) was born in Nanyang, Henan. After passing the civil
service examination, he was made an official in the government. He
was a philosopher, a poet, and a prose writer. In prose writing, he
aimed at reviving the ancient prose style, or the style of the writers
before the Han and of the early Han period. According to him, one
writes to express one's correct views: "Writing is the vehicle of the
Way," as he put it. This means that content is more impc/rtant than
form. He urged writers to use their own language and throw away
phrases and expressions that were no longer fresh. He practised all
these principles himself and wrote many powerful and beautiful es-
says. He was generally regarded as the most outstanding prose writer
after Sima Qian.
Liu Zongyuan (773 - 819) was born in Yongji, Shanxi. Like
Han Yu, he became an official after passing the civil service examina-
tion. Because of his political views, he was sent to Liuzhou in
Guangxi, then a poor and backward area, and died there when he
was only 47 years old. He played an active part in the literary reform
movement led by Han Yu, and wrote many excellent essays, includ-
ing fables, short biographies, and impressions of beautiful scenic
places.
Together with Han and Liu and after them many of their friends
and students who shared their views on writing, wrote in the way
they wrote. As a result, the ancient prose style replaced the ornate
style of the Six Dynasties and became the new trend. This style was
adopted by most writers during later ages until the May Fourth
Movement in 1919, when plain spoken Chinese began to be used in
writing.
In ancient times there were interesting myths, fables and leg-
ends recorded in various philosophical and historical works, such as
the Zuo Zhuan, the Zhuang Zi, the Han Fei Zi, the Records of the
Grand Historian, and the Mountain and Sea Classic. These myths
and fables are very short and simple; they were written mainly to
praise legendary heroes or convey philosophical messages.
The term xiaoshuo (small talk) was first seen in a section on
authors and books in the Han Shu ( Book of the Hah ). Under this
heading are listed 15 authors and 1,380 stories. They were all lost
long ago, so we do not know what they were like.
It may be said that Chinese fiction had its beginnings in the Wei
and Jin period. Many stories written during that period can still be
found today in anthologies and books, but these stories mainly de-
.scribe spirits, ghosts, gods and goddesses--a reflection of people's
belief in immortals and the supernatural. Interesting and meaningful
anecdotes were also written during this period. Many of them are col-
lected in New Sayings of the Worm compiled by Liu Yiqing(403 -
444).
During the Tang dynasty there was a remarkable development of
ficiton. Many writers not only took a new interest in, but also adopt-
ed a new attitude towards the writing of fiction. Before the Tang pc-
part in the civil service examination. He falls in love with a prostitute
called Li Wa. When he has spent all his money, the woman who
owns the brothel drives him out. Finding no way to earn a living, he
has to work as a singer for an undertaker. While doing his job one
day, he is discovered by his father, governor of a prefeture. Consid-
ering the son a disgrace to the family, the father gives him a beating
and disowns him. Then the young scholar becomes a beggar on the
street. On a snowy day, cold and hungry, he cries for help, and hap-
pens to be heard by Li Wa, Disregarding the opposition of the pro-
curess, she brings him into her house while saying, "It is my fault
that you have suffered so greatly." She does everything she can for
him, restores his health, and encourages him tO study. After he suc-
ceeds in the examinations, he is made a high-ranking official. At this
time Li Wa insists on leaving him so that he can marry a lady from an
upper-class family. But the scholar decides to marry her, and from
then on they live happily together.
Clearly the story praises Li Wa, a woman true to the man she
loves. Though a prostitute, she has a sound moral quality, as she is
entirely selfless when she looks after the poor, sick and homeless
young scholar. The story also reveals an ordinary woman's wish to be
able to love the person she really loves.
In later times, writers continued to write short stories in literary
classical Chinese. Strange Stories from a Scholar's Studio, for in-
stance, is a wonderful work of this type. Besides, many of the Tang
stories were later turned into plays. One example is the Romance of
the Western Chamber, which is based on a short story written by the
Tang poet Yuan Zhenl In short, Tang ficition was to have an impor-
tant influence on later literature.