The symbol of the modern Chinese popular novels was that after entering the 20th century, they gradually began to show different narrative methods and aesthetic styles from the traditional novels. In the 1950s, a batch of modern popular novels appeared in China, such as "The Dream of Red Chamber","Flower Moon Mark","Peony Pavilion", etc. They explored modern topics such as human nature, love, marriage, family, etc. based on modern consciousness and aesthetic concepts. They used more vernacular and oral narrative language, paying more attention to the description of characters and the twists and turns of the plot, presenting a new literary form. In the 1980s, modern Chinese popular novels began to flourish, such as Water Margins, Journey to the West, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, etc. These works not only borrowed the narrative methods and aesthetic concepts of foreign literature, but also integrated more Chinese cultural elements such as myths and legends, folk stories, historical events, etc., making the works more approachable and attractive. After entering the 21st century, modern Chinese popular novels paid more attention to innovation and constantly explored new narrative methods and aesthetic styles, such as network literature, science fiction, suspense novels, etc., showing a pluralistic development trend. At the same time, these works also began to pay attention to social reality and people's lives, exploring human nature, emotions, family, society and other topics, paying more attention to humane care and the depth of human nature.
The modern Chinese novel began in the early 20th century and matured in the 1930s to 1950s. At the beginning of the 20th century, modern Chinese novels began to sprout. The representative figures were Lu Xun, Mao Dun, Lao She, etc. Their works reflected the political, economic, and cultural reality of the society at that time. They explored human nature, society, history, and other issues, creating a precedent for modern Chinese novels. The 1930s was the period when Chinese novels matured. Many outstanding novelists such as Yang Jiang, Qian Zhongshu, Shen Congwen, etc. appeared during this period. Their works focused on the characters, deeply revealed the complexity and contradiction of human nature, and demonstrated the artistic charm and depth of modern Chinese novels. Among them, Qian Zhongshu's Fortress Besieged was considered a classic of modern Chinese novels, and Yang Jiang's Bathing was also one of the representative works of this period. These works not only reflected the social reality at that time, but also demonstrated the achievements and level of modern Chinese novels.
The maturity of modern Chinese novels was marked by a series of new literary movements formed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the works of Lu Xun, Mao Dun, Lao She, Ba Jin, Ernest, Mo Yan and others. The common feature of these works was that they emphasized social criticism, human nature exploration, and realism, reflecting the development of modern Chinese literature. From the 1920s, modern Chinese novels entered a prosperous period, with many outstanding writers such as Lao She, Cao Yu, Zhao Shuli, Shen Congwen, etc. These works reflected the real life as the theme, focusing on realism and the spirit of humanity, showing the prosperity of modern Chinese literature. From the 1930s to the 1950s, modern Chinese novels experienced another important development. A group of influential and important people appeared, such as Zhang Ailing, Yang Jiang, Qian Zhongshu, Su Manshu, etc. These works used women as the theme to show the awareness of gender equality in modern Chinese literature, and also reflected the political, economic, and cultural conditions of the society at that time. After the 1960s, the development of modern Chinese novels entered a new stage, and a new group of people appeared, such as Jia Pingwa, Mo Yan, Yu Hua, Wang Xiaobo, etc. These works focused on personal experience and spiritual exploration, reflecting the new development of modern Chinese culture and thought with modern thoughts and realism as the theme. Generally speaking, the development of modern Chinese novels has experienced many ups and downs and changes, but it has always adhered to the realism and humanist literary creation concept, showing the unique charm and style of modern Chinese literature.
The maturity of ancient Chinese novels was marked by the appearance of Dream of the Red Chamber. 'Dream of the Red Chamber' was considered the pinnacle of ancient Chinese novels in the Qing Dynasty. Its maturity was mainly manifested in the following aspects: 1. Rich character images and story plots: In Dream of the Red Chamber, there are a large number of characters, such as noble gentlemen, eunuchs, maids, servants, etc. There are also civilians, knight-errant, scholars, etc. These characters have their own characteristics, full and real. At the same time," Dream of the Red Chamber " also depicted a rich storyline, including the rise and fall of the family, the entanglements of marriage, the emotional entanglements between the characters, and so on. The plot was complicated and full of drama and mystery. 2. Unique narrative style: "Dream of the Red Chamber" adopted the narrative technique of "simulating the world", which reflected the various shortcomings of feudal society by simulating the description of real society. This unique narrative style not only shows the author's deep thinking about the feudal society, but also leaves a deep impression on the readers. 3. Profound ideology: Dream of the Red Chamber contains profound ideology such as "feelings","righteousness","etiquette" and other values, as well as deep thinking about human nature, life, society and other aspects. These ideology have played an important role in the development and enlightenment of ancient Chinese novels. Therefore, the publication of Dream of the Red Chamber marked the maturity of ancient Chinese novels, which not only laid the foundation for the development of ancient Chinese novels, but also had a profound impact on the development of modern literature and thought.
One of the signs of the maturity of Chinese classical novels was the emergence of the concept of "Four Great Masterpieces". These four novels were Dream of the Red Chamber, Journey to the West, Water Margins, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. They had a very high status and influence in Chinese classical novels and were regarded as the milestone works of Chinese classical novels. These four novels all depicted rich characters and plots, showing the essence of Chinese traditional culture and thought. Their plots were full of thrills and suspense, but they also showed deep human thinking and moral values. These novels had unique styles and characteristics such as delicate emotional descriptions, vivid characters, magnificent language, etc. The emergence of the four masterpieces marked the golden age of Chinese classical novels, which provided important reference and enlightenment for later literary creation. At the same time, they also created a lot of Chinese classical novels, such as the method of describing characters, the skill of plot design, the variety of narrative methods, etc. They played an important role in promoting the development and prosperity of Chinese literature.
The classic classic Chinese novel was " Dream of the Red Chamber ". 'Dream of the Red Chamber' was considered a classic novel in the Qing Dynasty. The novel depicted the rise and fall of a wealthy family with the rise and fall of the four families of Jia, Shi, Wang and Xue as the main line. Through the description of the main characters such as Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai, it showed the richness of human nature and the complexity of society. It was hailed as a classic in the history of Chinese literature.
Well, 'The Three - Body Problem' by Liu Cixin is extremely popular. It's a science - fiction masterpiece that takes readers on a journey through the cosmos, with its mind - blowing concepts about alien civilizations, scientific mysteries, and the future of humanity. It has also gained international acclaim and has been translated into many languages.
One characteristic is their diversity. There are various genres in popular modern Chinese novels, such as historical novels, science - fiction novels, and family - saga novels. They can appeal to different groups of readers. Moreover, many modern Chinese novels are not only about entertainment but also carry some educational or thought - provoking values. For instance, some novels may make readers think about environmental protection or the importance of family values through the story.
The pinnacle of Chinese novels was the Qing Dynasty's Dream of the Red Chamber.
One of the highest achievements of Chinese classical novels was Dream of the Red Chamber. This novel depicted the life of a feudal family in the Qing Dynasty. Through the emotional entanglements between the family members and the ups and downs of the family's fate, it showed the various drawbacks of the feudal society and the richness of human nature. The novel used rich characters, delicate emotional descriptions, profound thoughts and philosophical implications, and was hailed as a classic in the history of Chinese novels. In addition, Water Margins and Romance of the Three Kingdoms were also classic works of Chinese classical novels. They depicted the stories of two heroes, Song Jiang and Liu Bei, as well as the struggle between two politicians, Cao Cao and Sun Quan. These works all have very high literary value and historical value. They are important representatives of the field of classical novels in our country.
One popular modern Chinese romance novel is 'A Record of Mortal's Cultivation to Immortality'. Although it mainly focuses on the journey of cultivation, it also has some elements of romance within. Another is 'Love O2O', which has been adapted into a drama. It tells a sweet love story between a game developer and a girl in the game world.