This collection of Chinese stories begins with the great legends of how Earth and Heaven came into being, and of how the archer Yi rid the Emperor Yao of the menace of the ten suns. Engrossing folk ta
Internationally renowned Chinese literature scholar Cyril Birch was the first to assemble the finest translations of these seminal pieces in his now classic and still definitive introductory antholog
Ming drama represents the classical Chinese theater at its most mature and exquisite. Between 1368 and 1644, more than four hundred playwrights produced over l,500 plays, ranging from one-act skits to
The celebrated English translation of this classic work of Chinese literature is now available in an updated paperback edition. Written in 1598 by Tang Xianzu, The Peony Pavilion is one of literature’
Mistress & Maid, one of the greatest tragedies of Chinese drama, is here available for the first time in English. Acclaimed translator Cyril Birch presents the bittersweet tale of Bella, daughter
Represented here are examples of various categories of Chinese literary composition-verses, songs, stories, essays, drama, and excerpts from novels from the Y’an and Ching Dynasties, as well as
"Written in 1699 and based on the recollections of survivors, The Peach Blossom Fan is a grand historical play about the last days of the Ming dynasty as it fell to the invading Manchus. With compelli
