This book provides a more rational and systematic explanation for the origin and evolution of the Chinese narrative tradition, based on studies of Chinese literary classics, local culture and items such as bronze wares and porcelain vessels with ¿portrayed stories.¿ By doing so, it uncovers forgotten interconnections and reestablishes obscured or unacknowledged lines of descent. Furthermore, it makes an initial study of acoustic narrative. Going beyond the field of literature, it employs tools and materials from diverse fields such as anthropology, religious studies, mythology, linguistics, semiotics, folklore and local culture. The book also offers an archeological inquiry into the knowledge found in various narrative texts, objects with ¿portrayed stories¿ and perceptions with ¿relevant plots.¿ Providing a wealth of insights, inspiring investigative methods and practical tools that can be applied in narrative studies, the book is an essential resource for researchers and students inthe fields of comparative literature, narratology and ancient Chinese literature.

Xiuyan Fu is a narrative researcher, focusing on ancient Chinese literature. He is currently a Senior Professor at Jiangxi Normal University; Chief Expert at the Center for Narratology Studies (Jiangxi Provincial Key Institute for Social Science Research), Jiangxi Normal University; and President of the Chinese Narratology Research Association, which has organized six International Narratological Conferences in China. He has pursued research on comparative literature, narratology and local culture for many years and has published a number of books, including The Mystery of Story-Telling-Theory of Literary Narrative; Studies on Pre-Qin Narrative: the Formalization of Chinese Narrative Tradition; Narrative Significance and Strategies; Commentary on Gan (Jiangxi Province) Culture and the translation work John Keats' Letters.

Introduction: From Western Narratology to Chinese Narratology.- Chapter 1: Meta-narrative and the Myth of the Sun.- Chapter 2: Original Ecological Narrative in Shan-hai Jing (the Classic of Mountains and Seas).- Chapter 3: Chinese Narrative Tradition Starts in the Pre-Qin Period.- Chapter 4: The Ante-narrative on Bronze Wares.- Chapter 5: Porcelain Narrative and Cultural Analysis.- Chapter 6: the Magic Contract: New Review of Four Chinese Great Classical Novels.- Chapter 7: Charm of Intertextuality: New Interpretation of Four Chinese Great Folk Novels.- Chapter 8: Fu and the Evolution of Narrative in Ancient China.- Chapter 9: The Narrative Semantic of Appearance Description.- Chapter 10: Initial Study on Acoustic Narrative.- Chapter 11: Anxiety over Focalization.- Chapter 12: Local Generation of Swan-Maiden Stories .- Chapter 13: Deep Interpretation of Xu Xun Legend.