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The earliest Chinese written records belonged to the Shang Dynasty who ruled from 1,600 BCE to 1050 BCE. Chinese letters first appeared in the Shang Dynasty era inscribed on cattle bone and tortoise shells.
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During the reign of the Zhou Dynasty, the works of philosophy and religion were common. In Chinese history, the powerful rulers usually squelch or dishearten philosophical expression that violates their own, so when there were multiple small powers, different schools of thought could survive at once in the land.
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The Qin Dynasty had vast armies that defeated the others. The emperor banned literature concerning philosophical and religious beliefs. In addition, he also ordered several books throughout the empire to be burned, including executing those found failing to obey him.
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The Han dynasty lasted approximately 400 years. They wrote literature about events that happened before the Shang dynasty until the Hang dynasty that can be found in historical records.
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The Tang dynasty was an era where poetry was greatly valued. Their main contribution to Chinese literature was in the poetry of Dufu, Li Bai and many other poets who are often considered China’s greatest poets.
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The Song dynasty was the weakest out of all the previous dynasties, but they made the most scientific and technical advances. During the Song dynasty the moveable type was invented which changed the way of writing forever
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Another important milestone of the era was novels in the Yuan Dynasty. “Water Margin” and "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" still are highly regarded and are widely considered to have been two of Chinese literature's four greatest novels.
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Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) produced affordable books for commoners and in this time reference books became popular, as well as religious tracts, school primers, Confucian literature and civil service examination guides. During this era full length novels also began to grow in popularity.
