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21 Century
st

Literature from the

Philippines and the
World

Department of Education ● Republic of the Philippines

 21 Century st

Literature from
the Philippines
and the World
Quarter 2 - Module 2
Literature Around the World

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 Lesson

8 Asian Literature: Chinese

Grade 11/12, First Semester, Q2 – Week 1

What I Need to Know

In this module, you are going to write a close analysis and critical
interpretation of literary texts and doing an adaptation of these which require
you the ability to:

In this lesson, you are going to:

a. Identify representative texts and authors from Asia, North America,

Europe, Latin America, and Africa; (EN12Lit-IIa-22)
b. Produce a creative representation of a literary text by applying
multimedia and ICT skills; (EN12Lit-IIij-31.1)
c. Do self- and/or peer-assessment of the creative adaptation of a
literary text, based on rationalized criteria, prior to presentation.
(EN12Lit-IIij-31.3)

What I Know
Try your hand on the crossword puzzle. Which ones do you know
about Chinese literature?

Across
1. Confucius is a famous ____ in
ancient Chinese history.
2. The mystic philosophy inspired
by Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu
3. oldest collection of Chinese
poetry
5. Chinese literature has very
_____beginnings.
6. It is a series of rulers from the
same family
9. The poet who centers his works
on war and bitter experience.

Down
2. The great poets Li Po and Tu Fu
became popular during this dynasty.
4. He is Kung Fu Tzu, and he founded
Confucianism.
7. Who was the first writer in Chinese to
win Nobel Prize for literature?
8. Who is commonly considered the
greatest Chinese writer of the 20th
century?
 What’s In

Having probed the diversity and vast richness of Philippine literature –

from the country’s pre-colonial oral traditions to the literature at contemporary times,
let us now explore the literature of other countries across the globe and discover the
uniqueness, distinction, and complexity of their literary traditions. We will have a tour
from one continent to another for us to appreciate the literature of each region. Our
exploration will start with our neighboring countries in Asia.
Asian regions that have produced literature through the ages include: East
Asia (China, Japan, Korea); South Asia (which includes India); Central Asia
(Afghanistan, Kazakshtan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Tibet, and Nepal);
the Middle East; and Southeast Asia (which includes the Philippines).
Modern influences on Asian literature include cultural movements, war and
colonization, and influence from the West. ( Simoun Victor D. Redoblado, Brilliant Creations
Publishing, Inc., 2017, 102-105)

Before we take the tour, let’s look back at what you’ve learned from our own
Philippine literature.
Read carefully each statement. Choose the correct answer, and write the letter of the
correct answer in your LITERATURE ACTIVITY NOTEBOOK.

1. What poetry is written and read on a mobile phone?

A. rhyme B. hypertext C. lyric poetry D. textual

2. Which of these statements is NOT TRUE about creative nonfiction?

A. It tells a real story. C. It is a major genre of literature.
B. It tells a realistic story. D. It uses a literary style of writing

3. All of these kinds of electronic literature are of the same genre EXCEPT one.
Which one is it?
A. hyperfiction B. hyperpoetry C. photo poem D. textual

4. Characterized by beauty of expression and form and by the universality of

intellectual and emotional appeal is ____________.
A. literature B. poem C. prose D. story

5. It covers all stories from fantasy to science fiction to slipstream to magic realism to
urban fantasy.
A. Chick lit C. hyper poetry
B. flash fiction D. speculative fiction

6. What is 21st century literature?

A. anything written and published in the year 1900
B. anything written and published in 1990 onwards
C. anything written and published in the year 2000s.
D. anything written and published in the year 2010 onwards
7. “Manananggal Terrorizes Manila and Other Stories” is an example of this 21 st
century literature genre. What is it?
A. Chick lit
B. Creative Nonfiction
C. Flash fiction
D. Graphic novels.

8. It is consists of heroine-centered narratives that focus on the trials and tribulations

of their individual protagonists.
A. speculative fiction
B. chick lit
C. creative nonfiction
D. flash fiction

9. Flash fiction goes by many names, and they include the following EXCEPT
A. microfiction
B. microstories
C. short-short stories
D. story card fiction

10. It is an online journal or informational website displaying information in the

reverse chronological order, with latest posts appearing first.
A. graphic novels B. blog C. text tula D. hyperpoetry

What’s New
At this point in our study of world literature, we are going to take a look
at Chinese culture. Take a minute or two to remember the things you already know
about China. You will give three(3) of each category that will be asked. Write your
answers in your LITERATURE ACTIVITY NOTEBOOK.

A. Entertainment C. History
Name 3 types of Chinese Art Name 3 dynasties in China
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.

B. Food D. Religion
Name 3 crops grown in China Name 3 religions in China
1. 1.
2. 2.
3.
 \What Is It
Chinese literature began more than two thousand years ago, with The Book
of Poetry (Shijing) as its first anthology. This book, compiled sometime after 600 B.C.
by Confucius (551–479 B.C.), is a collection of 305 poems that date back to a period
between approximately 800 and 600 B.C.
Among the rhetorical devices employed in this first poem of The Book of
Poetry is the use of metaphor — crying ospreys compared to the lord and lady, for
instance.
Following The Book of Poetry, highlights of traditional Chinese literature
include The Songs of the South (Chuci); the prose writings in history and philosophy
of the Qin and Han dynasties; Tang poetry; the Song lyric; the prose of the Tang and
Song dynasties; and the short stories, novels, and dramas from the Tang to the Qing
dynasties.
The modern period of Chinese literature, which began in the 1910s, is even
more multifarious and voluminous. Running the risk of abstraction and
oversimplification, Chinese literature is characterized as the expression of both the
heart and the mind, as concerning the individual and society, as variously sublime
and graceful, and as blending reality and the imagination.
Traditional Chinese literature developed under the intellectual influences of
Confucianism, Daoism (Taoism), and Buddhism. Confucianism preaches
benevolence, righteousness, individual effort, commitment to society, and harmony
among people.
Traditional Chinese literature came under the influence of Christianity in the
Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644), when Western missionaries made their way to China.
As music is related to poetry, traditional Chinese poetry was inevitably influenced by
the music of the non-Chinese ethnic groups who resided mostly on the Chinese
borders. In general, traditional Chinese literature, though mainly a product of
Chinese civilization, has absorbed, in its course of development, certain elements
from cultures other than the Chinese.
Chinese literature in the twentieth century made a dramatic turn to the West.
This change affected not just literature but virtually all aspects of Chinese culture.
To be sure, twentieth-century Chinese literature has been receptive to the
literary works of such Eastern countries as India and Japan, but the presence of the
West is quite overwhelming.
In Modern times, Chinese writers have remained prolific. Though the social
impact of literature may be as monumental as it was in the past, the Chinese literary
tradition is nevertheless prosperous. Notable names include Mo Yan, a fictionist who
won the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature. Remarkable too were the novels of Yu Hua,
Wang Shuo and Shi Tiesheng, and the stories of Gao Xiaosheng, Wang Zengqi, and
Zhang Chenzhi. ( https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/46722071.pdf & Simoun Victor D. Redoblado,
Brilliant Creations Publishing, Inc., 2017), 104)
 https://www.slideshare.net/geumjen2/the-literature-of-china
As religion, war, and politics shaped Asian societies, literature prospered to
mirror these developments. As children of this continent, we need to appreciate the
literary outputs of our Asian neighbors. (Simoun Victor D. Redoblado, (Brilliant Creations
Publishing, Inc., 2017), 102.

Now, be ready to read one of Arthur Waley’s works. Arthur Waley was a 20 th
century scholar who translated numerous Chinese and Japanese classics.

Battle
Chu’ü Yüan
translated by Arthur Waley

“We grasp our battle-spears: we don our breast-plates of hide.

The axles of our chariots touch: our short swords meet.
Standards obscure the sun: the foe roll up like clouds.
Arrows fall thick: the warriors press forward.
They menace our ranks: they break our line.
The left-hand trace-horse is dead: the one on the right is smitten.
The fallen horses block our wheels: they impede the yoke-horses!”

They grasp their jade drum-sticks: they beat the sounding drums.
Heaven decrees their fall: the dread Powers are angry.

The warriors are all dead: they lie on the moor-field.

They issued but shall not enter: they went but shall not return.
The plains are flat and wide: the way home is long.

Their swords lie beside them: their blacks bows, in their hand.
Though their limbs were torn, their hearts could not be repressed.
They were more than brave: they were inspired with the spirit of “Wu.”
Steadfast to the end, they could not be daunted.
Their bodies were stricken, but their souls have taken Immortality –
Captains among the ghosts, heroes among the dead.
https://doina-touchingheartsblogspot.com/2019/01/battle-by-chu-yuan-332-295-bc-
from.html
 Source: https://mongolempirewhap.weebly.com/conquest.html

Read another poem written by a modern Chinese poet, Yu Xiuhua, who

became well known in 2014 with her online poem “Crossing Half of China to Sleep
with You.” Explore one of her poems.

On the Threshing Floor, I Chase Chickens Away

Yu Xiuhua
translated by Ming Di

And I see sparrows fly over. They look around

as if it’s inappropriate to stop for just any grain of rice.
They have clear eyes, with light from inside.
Starlings also fly over, in flocks, bewildered.
They flutter and make a sound that seems to flash.
When they’re gone, the sky gets lower, in dark blue.
In this village deep in the central plain
the sky is always low, forcing us to look at its blue,
the way our ancestors make us look inside ourselves,
narrow and empty, so we look out again
at the full September –
we’re comforted by its insignificance but hurt by its smallness.
Living our life this way, we feel secure.
So much rice. Where does it come from?
So much gold color. Where does it come from?
Year after year I’ve been blessed, and then deserted.
When happiness and sadness come in the same color code,
    I’m happy
to be forgotten. But who am I separated from?
I don’t know. I stay close to my own hours.
https://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/2018/july/two-poems-yu-xiuhua

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pirosmani._Threshing-floor._1916,_Oil_on_cardboard,_72X100.jpg
 What’s More

Compare the work of Chu’ü Yüan with the work of Yu Xiuhua. Consider
the similarities and differences in subject matter, imagery, and style in your
comparison. Copy the diagram in your LITERATURE ACTIVITY NOTEBOOK.
Then, Fill in the Venn Diagram with the similarities and differences of the two
poems.

Battle
Chu’ü Yüan On the Threshing Floor, I Chase
Battle Similarities
Chickens Away
Subject Yu Xiuhua
matter:
Battle Battle
Chu’ü Yüan

imagery:

style:

What I Have Learned

Answer the following questions. Write your answers in your

LITERATURE ACTIVITY NOTEBOOK.

1. What emotions do you feel after reading the poem? Why did you feel that way?
___________________________________________________________________

2. How would you compare the two poems? Which elements do they share, and
what differences do they have?
___________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. What message does each poem convey?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

What I Can Do

Your task is to create a beautiful multimedia presentation that showcases one

of the best Chinese short stories written. Your multimedia must not exceed five (5)
minutes. It must have the complete elements of the story. Be creative and be visually
appealing.
Criteria Description Score
10 points 7 points 4 points
The The The
Visual appeal presentation is presentation is presentation
visually moderately has poor visual
appealing, with appealing appeal, with
harmonious visually, with unbalanced
colors, shapes, generally color
and sizes of harmonious combinations,
figures in the colors, shapes, shapes, and
presentation. and sizes of sizes of figures
figures in the in the
presentation presentation
Cohesion The The The
presentation presentation presentation is
shows all the shows some of confusing; it
elements of the the elements of does not show
short story and the short story all the
blends it well in and blends it in elements of the
the narrative the narrative. short story and
these do not
blend well in
the narrative
Creativity The The The
presentation is presentation is presentation is
unique, somewhat unoriginal, and
interesting, and unique and fun it is not
innovative. It is to watch. pleasant to
a pleasure to watch.
watch.

Score /30
Adopted: DIWA Senior High School Series, DIWA Textbooks, 2016, p. 67
 Post Assessment
Read carefully each statement. Choose the correct answer, and write
the letter of the correct answer in your LITERATURE ACTIVITY NOTEBOOK.

1. Confucius is a famous ____ in ancient Chinese history.

A. historian B. poet C. philosopher D. emperor

2. Name the mystic philosophy inspired by Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu.

A. Daoism B. Confucianism C. Taoism D. Buddhism

3. The great poets Li Po and Tu Fu became popular during this dynasty.

A. Shang Dynasty B. Ming Dynasty C. Tang Dynasty D. Hang Dynasty

4. What is the subject matter of the poem “Battle” by Chu’ü Yüan?

A. nationalism B. patriotism C. independence D. loyalty

5. Chinese literature has very _____beginnings.

A. new B. ancient C. recent D. contemporary

6. Which of the following is the oldest collection of Chinese poetry?

A. Book of Psals B. Book of Songs C. Book of poetry D. Book of old

7. Who was the first writer in Chinese to win Nobel Prize for literature?
A. Li Po B. Du Fu C. Lu Xhun D. Mo Yan

8. Which of the following imagery is used in “On the Threshing Floor, I Chase
Chickens Away?
. A. arrows fall thick
B. the virtual spring in the flowering
C. starlings also fly over, in flocks, bewildered
D.the axles of our chariots touch: our short swords meet

9. The poet who centers his works on war and bitter experience.
A. Du Fu B. Lu Xhun C. Mo Yan D. Chu’ü Yüan

10. Who is commonly considered the greatest Chinese writer of the 20 th century?
A. Mo Yan B. Du Fu C. Yu Xiuhua D. Lu Xhun