The essay, representing the original form of Chinese prose, emerged as masterly literary genre in the late Middle Ages. Next to the poem, the essay embodied the expression of the Chinese mind. In the course of history, it developed from a moral tool to a manifestation of joie de vivre. A leisurely look at the world is therefore the characteristic trait of the essay - well into modern times.
The essay, representing the original form of Chinese prose, emerged as masterly literary genre in the late Middle Ages. Next to the poem, the essay...
