In the Ming (míng cháo 明朝)(1368-1644 AD) and Qing (qīng cháo 清朝)(1644-1911 AD) dynasties, Chinese literature entered a new epoch. The two dynasties witnessed great achievements in the creation of fiction. Representative works are the Four Great Classical Novels (sì dà míng zhù 四大名著): Romance of Three Kingdoms (sān guó yǎn yì 三国演义), Outlaws of the Marsh (shuǐ hǔ zhuàn 水浒传), Journey to the West (xī yóu jì 西游记) and A Dream of Red Mansions (hóng lóu mèng 红楼梦). Those works enjoy a high reputation throughout the world. What’s more, they have been adapted for the screen and the stage, winning the favor of global audience.

Sanxingdui (sān xīng duī 三星堆), which is situated in Southwest China’s Sichuan Basin, is the location of ruins found dating back to the Bronze Age (qīng tóng shí dài 青铜时代) in the middle and late Shang Dynasty (shāng cháo 商朝) (1600BC—1046BC). The name was given for due to its appearance which resembles three earth pits. Excavation began in 1980. Two large sacrificial pits were later unearthed in 1986, generating great interest internationally.