It was not accurate to say that Qian Zhongshu's novel Fortress Besieged was called the modern Chinese Scholar's Unofficial History. Fortress Besieged was a novel that reflected the social reality of 20th century China. The author was Qian Zhongshu, a modern Chinese writer. It didn't have much to do with The Scholars. The Scholars was an ancient Chinese novel that mainly described the life and struggles of Confucian scholars in the feudal society of the Qing Dynasty.