Zhongguo Wenxue Shi

Zhongguo Wenxue Shi (Chinese: 中國文學史) is a book about the history of Chinese literature by Lin Chuanjia [zh], published in 1904. It was the first known published history of Chinese literature in Chinese.^[1]

Zhongguo Wenxue Shi
Traditional Chinese	中國文學史
Simplified Chinese	中国文学史
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhōngguó Wénxuéshǐ Wade–Giles Chung-kuo Wen-hsüeh-shih

Lin Quanjia was inspired by Shina bungakushi (支那文学史; "History of Chinese Literature") by Sasakawa Rinpū [ja], published in 1898.^[2] The book focused on classical prose, and did not significantly explore works of fiction nor poetry.^[1]

According to Giovanni Vitello of the University of Naples "L'Orientale", due to the cultural difference in what "wenxue" meant in pre-1920s China, in this case how "humanities" was defined by the Imperial Edict of 1903, the work "was not exactly a "history" of Chinese literature as we would understand it today".^[1]

In 1922 Zheng Zhenduo criticized the book for having a title he felt was misleading.^[1]