Ming chantefable and the early Chinese novel : a study of the chenghua period cihua

Abstract

The discovery of eleven chantefable (cihua) texts in a tomb outside Shanghai in 1967 is of considerable significance to the study of early vernacular fiction in China. These cihua (or stories in song and prose) are unique examples of a genre which has disappeared, although examples of the later more literary, "imitation" cihua, such as The Golden Lotus Cihua, are familiar to students in the field. Show more