Chinese Events that Influence Literature Timeline

  • chinese writing found
    1400 BCE

    chinese writing found

    oracle bones were pieces of ox scapula or turtle plastron, which were used for pyromancy – a form of divination – in ancient China, mainly during the late Shang dynasty.
  • confucius teachings
    551 BCE

    confucius teachings

    ethical values such as honesty, loyaly, and respect for elders are taught by confucius and later recorded in analects.
  • shih ching (book of odes)
    500 BCE

    shih ching (book of odes)

    this was the first anthology of chinese poetry that was compiled
  • dictionary
    100

    dictionary

    first chinese dictionary is compiled
  • t'ao ch'ien
    365

    t'ao ch'ien

    birth of t'ao ch'ien, an important early lyric poet
  • civil service exam
    690

    civil service exam

    in order to pass the civil service examination, poetry writing is included
  • diamond sutra
    868

    diamond sutra

    the first book with a printed date, diamond sutra, was published
  • song lyrics
    900

    song lyrics

    tz'u, song lyrics sung by women entertainers become a major poetic form.