Prose can be mainly divided into two categories: one is historical prose represented by Shangshu, Chunqiu, Zuozhuan, Guoyu and Warring States Policy; One is the essays of various schools represented by Zhuangzi, Laozi, The Analects of Confucius, Mencius and Mozi.
These two kinds of prose are not pure literary forms, but they have a far-reaching influence on the form and content of prose. In particular, Zhuangzi, which combines historical legends, fables and myths and literary arguments, is eloquent and brilliant, and has a far-reaching influence on later romantic works.
Poetry is mainly represented by The Book of Songs and Songs of the South. The Book of Songs is a collection of poems for more than 500 years from the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty to the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period. It is also China's first collection of poems. It can be said that both China's literature and China's poetry are rooted in The Book of Songs, which has a great influence on later generations both in content and thought.
Chu Ci is a literary style left by southern writers, such as Qu Yuan and Song Yu, especially Qu Yuan's Li Sao. His persistent spirit of exploration, noble character, romantic imagination and gorgeous literary talent interweave into the grandeur and elegance of Li Sao, which has a great influence on later poems.