Xiaopin (literary genre)


In Chinese literature, xiaopin is a form of short essay, usually non-fictional, and usually being exclusively composed in prose. The form is comparable to that of Tsurezuregusa by the Japanese monk Yoshida Kenkō. The genre flourished in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.

Notable practitioners

The following authors are considered among the most notable historical practitioners of the genre:
wrote in 1999 that
wrote about such topics as wars, temples, belvederes, gazebos, huts, scholars, maids, courtesans, actors, storytellers, ventriloquists, dogs, calligraphy, stationery, bamboo, canes, trips to the countryside, attendants, fools, paintings, portraits, poetry, retirement, old age, death, dreams, the mind of a child, peach blossoms, flowers, excursions, brooks, lakes, ponds, mountains, drinking, and all manner of books.