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Notes:

1. The "middle period" of Chinese literature occupies a central place in that nation's cultural history; to many it is the era during which Chinese thought and letters achieved its highest form.
2. During China's "middle period," Confucianism declined in importance; Taoism and Buddhism in fact began to acquire a more important status. With an emphasis on personal salvation, they offered an alternative to the Confucian ideals of social and ethical collective interests.
3. Because of the way that it was integrated into life during this period, the T'ang Dynasty is often considered a period when poetry flourished.
4. Thanks to the development of printing, the vernacular traditions emphasizing storytelling have coexisted and evolved along with classical literature up to present times.

Text:
* blue words within the text indicate important notes to remember

1. The "middle period" of Chinese literature occupies a central place in that nation's cultural history; to many it is the era during which Chinese thought and letters achieved its highest form. Although literature and culture continued to develop after this period, the T'ang and Sung dynasties of the "middle period" have been nationally significant for many years.
   
   By the second century, the ruling Han empire began to crumble. The widespread social decline and demise of the social order were reflected in the writing of that period and in a questioning of Confucian values. By the third century, China was divided into the Three Kingdoms—Shu in the west; Wu in the south; and the more volatile kingdom, which was amid the territory of the warlord Ts'ao Ts'ao. After Ts'ao Ts'ao's death in A.D. 220, the Wei Dynasty was established, only to be replaced briefly by the Chin Dynasty. In 316, non-Chinese invaders overthrew the Chin Dynasty. The period of division between the northern dynasties (dominated by non-Chinese ruling classes) and the southern dynasties (short-lived Chinese rulers) that ensued had important repercussions on literary production for the next few years—much of the classical literature of the "middle period" in China came from the southern and more "Chinese" regions.
2. During China's "middle period," Confucianism declined in importance; Taoism and Buddhism in fact began to acquire a more important status. With an emphasis on personal salvation, they offered an alternative to the Confucian ideals of social and ethical collective interests. The stronger presence of Buddhism and Taoism considerably changed the nature of literary work. Poetry and thought focused more on understanding nature, and the nature of the individual or "recluse." Departing with the Confucian emphasis on denying the importance of the self, many new literary works focused on understanding the psyche, spiritual enlightenment, and the natural world.
3. After years of being politically divided, a northern dynasty—the Sui—arose that was responsible for the reunification of China. Soon thereafter, it was replaced by the T'ang Dynasty. During the culturally vibrant period the T'ang dynasty expanded in the political, economic, cultural, and military realms. Because of the way that it was integrated into life during this period, the T'ang Dynasty is often considered a period when poetry flourished. However, a rebellion in 750 precipitated the demise of the T'ang, and in 960 the Sung Dynasty took hold. The Sung replaced the aristocratic tendencies of the past regimes and opened up political participation to previously disenfranchised groups.
4. With the development of printing in the eleventh century came an increased awareness of literary traditions and classical literature. Access to the Confucian classics led to a new movement, Neo-Confucianism. At the same time, Sung Dynasty literature, which developed T'ang poetic forms by imposing upon them a different tone, continued to develop, and a vernacular literature began to emerge in urban centers. Thanks to the development of printing, the vernacular traditions emphasizing storytelling have coexisted and evolved along with classical literature up to present times.