Jul 09, 2024
any good classics of chinese lit you’d recommend? waiting on a hold from the library for story of the stone, but curious if there’s any others i should add to the list. thx!
maskedmanta1 year ago
I'm currently reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms for a bookclub. (Between your post and the other comments, we now have all Four Classic Chinese Novels!) Three Kingdoms is a century-long war epic that blends genuine history about the fall of the Han Dynasty and the rich array of folk traditions about the period. It's the source material for the Dynasty Warriors games, so expect plenty of colorful, bombastic characters and action sequences- But I think where it really shines is demonstrating the complex interplay of court politics, battlefield tactics, and the honor systems of Ancient China. I often find myself mumbling "This is so, so much better than Game of Thrones" as I read. It will be a lengthy time investment (all four of the Classic Chinese Novels are casually 2000 pages long) but its a worthy journey. You could also watch the 1994 TV drama adaptation, which is currently being subtitled by American fans.
Water Margins seems cool, been thinking of picking it up lately
Journey to the West
thanks guys i really appreciate it <3