History of Fiction

Looking over the history of Chinese literature which has experienced several millenniums, we can see that Tang poetry, Song ci (verses of the Song dynasty) and Yuan qu (a collective name for zaju and sanqu of the Yuan dynasty) are like three radiant pearls, sparkling in the temple of Chinese classical literature, but for a very long period before the 20th century fiction is hardly mentioned.
At beginning, the form of fiction was not approved by the orthodox literature. However, it has taken down vividly the track of historical development and the picture of life with its own language. Due to its popularity, truthfulness and simple language, fiction has faithfully fulfilled its social and historical functions. From an uncivilized and ignorant primitive society to a highly centralized feudal dynasty, the ancient Chinese fiction had accumulated rich experience and invaluable spiritual wealth for later ages.
The ancient Chinese fiction started with