With its fresh translations by newer voices in the field, its broad scope, and its flowing style, this anthology places the immense riches of Chinese literature within easy reach. Ranging from the beginnings to 1919, this abridged version of The Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature retains all the characteristics of the original. In putting together these selections Victor H. Mair interprets "literature" very broadly to include not just literary fiction, poetry, and drama, but folk and popular literature, lyrics and arias, elegies and rhapsodies, biographies, autobiographies and memoirs, letters, criticism and theory, and travelogues and jokes.

A study and translation of Tou O Yüan, a traditional Chinese drama by Kuan Hanch'ing, the leading playwright of the Yüan period (1279-1368). The play remained a popular favourite and is still performed in the Peking opera theatres in a revised version, under the title Snow in Midsummer. In her very full introduction Professor Shih discusses the literary and historical background to the play - the language and conventions of Yüan drama and its remarkable emergence under Mongol rule. The format used for the play itself represents an innovation in the presentation of materials for the students of Chinese literature and language. Each section of text (in Chinese characters) has an interlinear transliteration and literal translation, with a free translation, notes and commentary on the facing page.

Living from 1215 to 1294, Khubilai Khan is one of history’s most renowned figures. Morris Rossabi draws on sources from a variety of East Asian, Middle Eastern, and European languages as he focuses on the life and times of the great Mongol monarch. This 20th anniversary edition is updated with a new preface examining how twenty years of scholarly and popular portraits of Khubilai have shaped our understanding of the man and his time.

Brings together fiction, poetry, drama, folk stories, elegies, letters, travelogues, criticism and theory. It emphasizes the distinctive features of Chinese literature through the ages by means of its topical arrangement.