Reading Chinese Literature

Our mission is to collect some of the best Chinese literature on this website for our readers to peruse and enjoy.  Reading Chinese literature is the ultimate goal for many Chinese students, but which stories do you start with?  We are collecting some of the best literature and providing them here in PDF format for our readers.  We are continuing to expand our series of Capturing Chinese and are working on our fifth book currently with others planned.  If you have a favorite story that you would like us to include please contact the author here.

Revolutionary Literature

Lu Xun

Lu Xun is often branded as the "Father of Modern Chinese Literature".  Some of his most famous short stories are listed below.

Nahan

• Nahan Preface 呐喊－自序
• Kuang Ren Riji 狂人日记
• Kong Yiji 孔已己
• Medicine 药
• Tomorrow 明天
• A Small Incident 一件小事
• A Story About Hair 头发的故事
• A Passing Storm 风波
• Hometown 故乡
• Dragonboat Festival 端午节
• The White Light 白光
• A Comedy of Ducks 鸭的喜剧
• Some Rabbits and a Cat 兔和猫
• Village Opera 社戏

Ah Q: The Real Story

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9
• 郡名百家姓 - Common Family Names and Origin

Other Works:

• Epigraph to Wild Grass
• Autumn Night
• Hope
• The Evolution of the Male Sex

Zhu Ziqing (朱自清)

• 匆匆 Haste
• 荷塘月色Moonlight in the Lily Pond
• My Father’s Back – 背影
• Spring
• Thinking of Mr. Wei Woqing

Zhang Ailing (张爱玲)

• 封锁 Fēngsuǒ Sealed Off
• Love in a Fallen City

Hu Shi (胡适)

• 差不多先生 - Mr. Almost Man
• My Mother
• In Memory of Xu Zhimo

Zhou Zuoren (周作人)

• In Praise of Mutes
• Reading on the Toilet
• The Aging of Ghosts

Lin Yutang (林语堂)

• My Turn at Quitting Smoking

Yu Dafu (郁达夫)

• Sinking
• Moving South
• Silver-gray Death

Mao Dun (矛盾)

• Spring Silkworms
• The Lin Family Shop

Ye Shengtao (叶圣陶)

• Mr. Pan in Difficulty

Lao She (老舍)

• An Old and Established Name
• Teahouse
• Beijing Spring Festival

Ding Ling (丁玲)

• Miss Sophia's Diary
• When I was in Xia Village

Lai He (賴和)

• The Steelyard

Ling Shuhua (凌叔华)

• The Night of Mid-Autumn Festival

She Zhencun (施蛰存)

• One Evening in the Rainy Season

Shen Congwen (沈从文)

• Xiaoxiao
• Bordertown

Wu Zhuoli (吳濁流)

• The Doctor's Mother

Wu Zuxiang (吴组缃)

• Young Master Gets his Tonic