Huaben and Zhanghui Fictions
Huaben and chapter novels were both forms of ancient Chinese novels, mainly popular during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. A storybook is a collection of short stories. Usually, there is only one story in each article, no chapter title, and no chapter title (meaning that the chapter title appears in the form of a chapter title). Verbal novels were short, compact, vivid, and entertaining. Verbal novels were mainly written on bamboo slips, paper, and printed matter. There were also some digitized versions that could be read online. Chapter novels were a type of ancient novel with chapter titles and chapters. Compared to vernacular novels, chapter novels were longer. Each story had a fixed number of chapters, and there were chapters between each chapter as a distinction. The characteristic of chapter novels was that the structure of the chapters was clear, and there was a clear logical relationship between the chapters. The plot was more complicated, and the characters were more abundant. The main medium for chapter novels was bamboo slips, paper, and printed matter. There were also some digitized versions that could be read online. Although Huaben and Zhang Hui novels are very different in form and content, they are both important components of ancient Chinese novels and have an important position in the history of Chinese literature.