Overview

The Qing Dynasty was the last monarchical dynasty in China. From the establishment of the capital in Beijing (1644) to the gloomy end (1911), the Qing Dynasty ruled China for two hundred and sixty-eight years. After thousands of years of vicissitudes and ups and downs, Chinese literature welcomed the last glory in the Qing Dynasty. At the juncture of the reigns of Daoguang and Xianfeng, China met the West and was involved into a global modernization movement that began in Western Europe. Afterwards, Chinese literature started hard transformation from classics to modernism under foreign influence.