The Scholars Author:Wu Ching-Tzu, Yang Hsien-Yi, Gladys Yang One of the great classic Chinese novels, The Scholars departs from the impersonal tradition of Chinese fiction, as the author makes significant use of autobiographical experience and models many characters on friends and relatives. An eighteenth-century satire, it is outstanding among Chinese classic novels. The author mercilessly exposes the ... more »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 the feudal society. The Yangs are also the translators of the most famous Chinese classic novel A Dream of Red Mansions. A literary masterpiece of the Ming dynasty, this landmark work was the first in China to criticize social abuse.« less