List the four famous works of ancient China and explain the reasons for the prosperity of novels in the Ming and Qing Dynasties
The four famous works in ancient China are Dream of the Red Chamber, Journey to the West, Water Margins and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. They are classics in the history of Chinese literature and have a profound influence on later generations of literature. Dream of the Red Chamber was a Qing Dynasty story about the rise and fall of a feudal family, with the love story of Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai and others as the main thread. This work had profound social significance and cultural value, and was hailed as a masterpiece in the history of Chinese novels. Journey to the West was written by Wu Chengen, a novelist of the Ming Dynasty. It told the story of the adventures of Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Monk Sand, who protected Tang Sanzang and went to the West to obtain scriptures. This work was based on myths and legends, combining religion, history, philosophy and other elements. It had high literary and artistic value. The Water Margins was a story of the uprising of Song Jiang, Lin Chong, Wu Yong and others in the Yuan Dynasty. It depicted a group of people who resisted oppression and defended justice. This work has a strong folk legend color, violence, sex, resistance as the theme, known as the history of Chinese fiction classic. The reasons for the prosperity of novels in the Ming and Qing Dynasties were as follows: 1. Historical background: During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, China's feudal society gradually declined, social class division intensified, and social contradictions intensified day by day. As a form of literature, novels were widely used and spread in this context. 2. Diverse subject matter: The novels of the Ming and Qing Dynasties had a variety of subjects, including historical legends, myths and legends, as well as love, martial arts, detective novels, and so on. These works could meet the different needs of readers and promote the variety of novels. 3. Literature style: The novels of the Ming and Qing Dynasties had a variety of styles. There were both traditional literary descriptions and modern literary expressions. These works had great innovation in language, structure, plot and other aspects, which provided important enlightenment for later literature. 4 The novelists of the Ming and Qing Dynasties produced a large number of novels, such as Dream of the Red Chamber, Journey to the West, Water Margins, etc. These people had a deep literary foundation and rich experience. They not only promoted the development of novels but also enhanced the reputation of Chinese literature.