The Ming and Qing dynasties saw the development of the novel. Four masterpieces produced in this form during this period are Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, Outlaws of the Marsh by Shi Nai'an, Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en, and A Dream of Red Mansions by Cao Xueqin. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Outlaws of the Marsh, written in the early Ming Dynasty, were based on folk legends, storytelling scripts and dramas. They are the most popular historical novels in China.
Pilgrim to the West, the most brilliant Chinese mythological novel, came out in the mid Ming Dynasty. The author creates a supernatural world of rigid hierarchy managed by gods. Pilgrim to the West has a strong romantic flavor.
A Dream of Red Mansions depicts the corruption of the feudal system and its inevitable collapse through the tragic love stories of Jia Baoyu and his beautiful cousins Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai and the changing fortunes of the aristocratic Jia family. Richly vital, deeply profound, minutely drawn, A Dream of Red Mansions stands at the apex of the traditional Chinese novel.
