Asian Literature: Chinese

Chinese literature began more than two thousand years ago, with The Book of Poetry (Shijing)
as its first anthology. This book, compiled sometime after 600 B.C.by Confucius (551–479 B.C.),
is a collection of 305 poems that date back to a period between approximately 800 and 600 B.C.
Among the rhetorical devices employed in this first poem of The Book of Poetry is the use of
metaphor — crying ospreys compared to the lord and lady, for instance.
Following The Book of Poetry, highlights of traditional Chinese literature include The Songs of
the South (Chuci); the prose writings in history and philosophy of the Qin and Han dynasties;
Tang poetry; the Song lyric; the prose of the Tang and Song dynasties; and the short stories,
novels, and dramas from the Tang to the Qing dynasties.
The modern period of Chinese literature, which began in the 1910s, is even more multifarious
and voluminous. Running the risk of abstraction and oversimplification, Chinese literature is
characterized (1) as the expression of both the heart and the mind, (2) as concerning the individual
and society, (3) as variously sublime and graceful, and (4) as blending reality and the imagination.
Traditional Chinese literature developed under the intellectual influences of Confucianism,
Daoism (Taoism), and Buddhism. Confucianism preaches benevolence, righteousness, individual
effort, commitment to society, and harmony among people.
Traditional Chinese literature came under the influence of Christianity in the Ming dynasty (1368
– 1644), when Western missionaries made their way to China. As music is related to poetry,
traditional Chinese poetry was inevitably influenced by the music of the non-Chinese ethnic
groups who resided mostly on the Chinese borders. In general, traditional Chinese literature,
though mainly a product of Chinese civilization, has absorbed, in its course of development,
certain elements from cultures other than the Chinese.
Chinese literature in the twentieth century made a dramatic turn to the West. This change
affected not just literature but virtually all aspects of Chinese culture. To be sure, twentieth-
century Chinese literature has been receptive to the literary works of such Eastern countries as
India and Japan, but the presence of the West is quite overwhelming.
In Modern times, Chinese writers have remained prolific. Though the social impact of literature
may be as monumental as it was in the past, the Chinese literary tradition is nevertheless
prosperous. Notable names include Mo Yan, a fictionist who won the 2012 Nobel Prize for
Literature. Remarkable too were the novels of Yu Hua, Wang Shuo and Shi Tiesheng, and the
stories of Gao Xiaosheng, Wang Zengqi, and Zhang Chenzhi.
Source: Redoblado, S.V D. (2017). Chinese Literature. Brilliant Creations Publishing, Inc., 104. Retrieved from
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/46722071.pdf
 Asian Literature: Singaporean
The literature of Singapore comprises a collection of literary works by Singaporeans in any of the
country’s four main languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil.
A number of Singaporean writers such as Tan Swie Hian and Kuo Pao Kun have contributed work
in more than one language. There were varying levels of activity in succeeding decades, with
poets in the late 1980s and early 1990s including Simon Tay, Leong Liew Geok, Koh Buck Song,
Heng Siok Tian and Ho Poh Fun.
In the late 1990s poetry in English in Singapore found a new momentum with a whole new
generation of poets born around or after 1965 now actively writing and publishing, not only in
Singapore but also internationally. The poetry of this younger generation is often politically
aware, transnational and cosmopolitan, yet frequently presents their intensely focused, self-
questioning and highly individualised perspectives of Singaporean life, society and culture. Some
poets have been labelled Confessional for their personalised writing, often dealing with intimate
issues such as sexuality.
With the independence of Singapore in 1965, a new wave of Singapore writing emerged, led by
Edwin Thumboo, Arthur Yap, Robert Yeo, Goh Poh Seng, Lee Tzu Pheng and Chandran Nair.
Poetry is the predominant mode of expression; it has a small but respectable following since
independence, and most published works of Singapore writing in English have been in poetry.
Drama in English found expression in Goh Poh Seng, who was also a notable poet and novelist,
in Robert Yeo, author of 6 plays, and in Kuo Pao Kun, who also wrote in Chinese. The late Kuo
was a vital force in the local threatre rrenaissance in the 1980s and1990s.
Fiction writing in English did not start in earnest until after independence. Short stories flourished
as a literary form, the novel arrived much later. Goh Poh Seng remains a pioneer in writing novels
well before many of the later generation, with titles like If We Dream Too Long (1972) – widely
recognised as the first true Singaporean novel – and A Dance of Moths (1995).
Source:(https://www.scribd.com/document/412634387/21st-Century-Literature-of-the-Philippines-and-ofthe
World-1)
 Asian Literature: Singaporean
Japanese literature has been influenced heavily by the Chinese literature from the ancient period
all the way to the Edo Period (1603-1868) which corresponds to the early modern Japanese
literature. Japanese literary works also reveal elements of Indian and later of Western elements
but above all, they reveal a distinct style which has also greatly influenced both Eastern and
Western literatures. Japanese literature can be divided into four periods: the ancient, classical,
medieval, and modern.
Ancient literature in Japan deals primarily with myths and legends. Tales like the creation of
Japan, wherein the islands came from the gemstones imbued in the swords of gods are very
prominent during this period. The celebrated writers during this period are Ono Yasumaro, Nihon
Shoki, and Man’yoshu who wrote based on real events in the country.
The classical literature in Japan occurred during the golden age, the Heian period. During this
period, Murasaki Shikibu, one of the greatest Japanese writers, wrote the seminal text, Tale of
Genji. Tale of Genji, considered the world’s first novel, is a very charming and accurate depiction
of the Japanese court during the Heian period under the reign of Empress Akiko.
History and literature were intertwined during the Medieval period due to the influence of the
civil wars and the emergence of the warrior class. Thus, war tales are very prominent during this
period. Besides war stories and tales, the popular form of Japanese poetry, the renga, saw its
rise.
Modern literature can be further divided into early modern, which happened during the Edo
period, and modern, which started during the Meiji period, when Japan opened its doors to the
West. The early modern gave way to the rise of new genres like the Japanese drama, kabuki, the
poetry form known for its simplicity and subtlety, haiku, and the yomihon, a type of Japanese
book which put little emphasis on illustration.
The modern period also marked the emergence of new styles of writing. Japanese writers started
to romanticize and tried experimenting with different genres and subject matters. The Second
World War heavily affected Japanese literature but soon, the distinct Japanese style of writing
manage to regain its popularity. Some of the prominent modern Japanese writers are Yasunari
Kawabata, Kobi Abe, Takiji Kobayashi, and Haruki Murakami to mention a few.
Source: (https://www.scribd.com/document/412634387/21st-Century-Literature-of-the-Philippines-and-ofthe-
World-1)