The Scholars

One of the great Chinese novels, The Scholars departs from the impersonal tradition of Chinese fiction, as the author of this eighteenth-century satire makes significant use of autobiographical experience and models many characters on friends and relatives.

The author mercilessly satirizes the decadence of the literati produced by the feudal examination system, the disastrous effects of that institution, the corruption of the feudal regime, and the darkness of feudal society. A literary masterpiece of the Qing dynasty, this landmark work was one of the first in China to criticize social abuse.