Editing Han Chinese (section)

=== Literature ===
{{Main|Chinese literature}}
[[File:鲁迅五十三岁生辰.jpg|thumb|[[Lu Xun]] is one of the founding figures of modern Chinese literature.<ref>{{cite web|author=[[Julia Lovell]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/07/books/review/the-big-red-book-of-modern-chinese-literature-edited-by-yunte-huang.html|title='The Big Red Book of Modern Chinese Literature,' Edited by Yunte Huang|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=2016-02-05|access-date=28 March 2024|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328065423/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/07/books/review/the-big-red-book-of-modern-chinese-literature-edited-by-yunte-huang.html|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
[[File:Dufu.jpg|left|thumb|318x318px|[[Du Fu]] is often considered one of the greatest Chinese poets.<ref name="ebrey2006">{{cite book |last1=Ebrey |first1=Patricia Buckley |title=East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History |last2=Walthall |first2=Anne |last3=Palais |first3=James |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-618-13384-0 |location=Boston |pages=103}}</ref>]]
With a rich historical literary heritage spanning over three thousand years, the Han Chinese have continued to push the boundaries that have circumscribed the standards of literary excellence by showcasing an unwaveringly exceptional caliber and extensive wealth of literary accomplishments throughout the ages. The Han Chinese possess a vast catalogue of [[Chinese classic texts|classical literature]] that can be traced back as far as three millennia, with a body of literature encompassing significant early works such as the ''[[Shijing|Classic of Poetry]]'', ''[[Analects of Confucius]]'', ''[[I Ching]]'', ''[[Tao Te Ching]]'' and the ''[[The Art of War|Art of War]]''. Canonical works of [[Chinese Buddhism|Buddhism]], Confucianism, and [[Taoism]] alongside historical writings, philosophical works, treatises, poetry, drama, and fiction have been revered and immortalized as timeless cultural masterpieces within the vast expanse of Chinese literature. Historically, ambitious individuals who aspired to seek top [[Mandarin (bureaucrat)|government positions]] of distinguished authority, importance, and power were mandated to demonstrate their proficiency in the Confucian classics assessed through rigorous [[imperial examination|examinations]] in Imperial China.<ref name="McKnight1983" /><ref name="TC" /> Such comprehensive examinations were not only employed as the prevailing universal standards to evaluate a candidate's ethical behavior and virtuous conduct, but were also deployed as a measure of academic aptitude that determined a candidate's caliber, credibility, and eligibility for such esteemed roles of great influence and responsibility, extending beyond their prevailing entrance as a gateway into the imperial bureaucracy. Han literature itself has a rich tradition dating back thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature vernacular fiction novels that arose during the Ming dynasty which were employed as a source of cultural pleasure to entertain the masses of literate Chinese. Some of the most important Han Chinese poets in the pre-modern era were [[Li Bai]], [[Du Fu]] and [[Su Shi|Su Dongpo]]. The most esteemed and noteworthy novels of great literary significance in Chinese literature, otherwise known as the Four Great Classical Novels are: ''[[Dream of the Red Chamber]]'', ''[[Water Margin]]'', ''[[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]'' and ''[[Journey to the West]]''.

Drawing upon their extensive literary heritage rooted in a historical legacy spanning over three thousand years, the Han Chinese have continued to demonstrate a uniformly high level of literary achievement throughout the modern era as the reputation of contemporary Chinese literature continues to be internationally recognized. Erudite literary scholars who are well-versed in Chinese literature continue to remain highly esteemed in contemporary Chinese society. [[Liu Cixin]]'s ''[[San Ti]]'' series won the [[Hugo Award]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/2015/08/2014-hugo-award-winners-announced/|title=2015 Hugo Award Winners Announced|last=Kevin|date=23 August 2015|website=The Hugo Awards|access-date=6 August 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150824063329/http://www.thehugoawards.org/2015/08/2014-hugo-award-winners-announced/|archive-date=24 August 2015 }}</ref> [[Gao Xingjian]] became the first Chinese novelist to receive the [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel Prize for Literature]] in 2000. In 2012, the novelist and short story writer [[Mo Yan]] also received the Nobel Prize in Literature. In 2015, children's writer [[Cao Wenxuan]] was bestowed with the [[Hans Christian Andersen Award]], the first Chinese recipient of the esteemed international children's book prize.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ibby.org/1568.0.html |title=HCAA 2016 Winners |access-date=2016-11-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022044619/http://www.ibby.org/1568.0.html |archive-date=2016-10-22 }}</ref>