The modern context and ancient resources of Chinese literature

To enter into and utilize the resources of ancient literature is a necessity for literary modernity. In the twentieth century, modern Chinese literature generally adopted four paradigms in pursuit of this objective： the socio-political paradigm that viewed traditional literature in terms of ＂quintessence-dross＂ under the guidance of the Marxist doctrine of the critical inheritance of cultural heritage; the ＂spiritual awakening＂ paradigm that, being inspired by Western schools of thought such as hermeneutics, viewed traditional literature as ＂the source of new literature＂; the scientific-aesthetic paradigm that viewed traditional literature as combining scientific interpretation and modern aesthetics and focused on interpretation, transformation, innovation and creation from within; and the folk paradigm that viewed literary tradition as a narrative of daily life demonstrating the way in which ancient and modern literature were connected in a cultural whole. What is important in the complementary and competitive development of these coexisting paradigms is highlighting ＂problem consciousness＂ in ＂interaction＂ and ＂original creation＂ and the reconstruction of the value of real human life through entering into and reactivating the resources of ancient literature.