The source of Chinese romantic literature is Qu Yuan and Chu Ci.
Qu Yuan and Chu Ci are considered to be the sources of Chinese romantic literature. Both realism and romanticism are important ideological movements in modern Europe. They undoubtedly share many characteristics with the practice of ancient Chinese literary creation. However, if we are based on the Chinese cultural standpoint, using realism or romanticism to summarize ancient Chinese literature The creative tradition, including the romantic summary of the characteristics of Qu Yuan and Chu Ci, is not appropriate. The characteristics of European romantic literature are that it focuses on expressing subjective ideals, expressing strong personal feelings, pursuing a strong contrast between beauty and ugliness, and surprising artistic effects. Contrary to the classical aesthetic ideals of tranquility, simplicity, harmony, and integrity, romantic literature emphasizes revealing beauty from the rapid changes of life, the turmoil of the spirit, and various peculiar phenomena full of characteristic and mysterious connotations. The first person to introduce romanticism to China was Lu Xun, who translated romanticism as "Moro" and wrote "The Power of Moro Poetry" in 1907. The "Moro Poetry School" refers to the romantic school in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Chu Ci is a new poetry style created by Qu Yuan, and it is also the first collection of romantic poetry in the history of Chinese literature. The name "Chu Ci" existed in the early Western Han Dynasty, and was compiled into a collection by Liu Xiangnai. Wang Yi of the Eastern Han Dynasty composed chapters and sentences. It originally contains sixteen poems and poems by Qu Yuan and Song Yu from the Chu people of the Warring States Period, as well as Xiao Shan, Dongfang Shuo, Wang Bao, Liu Xiang and others from Huainan in the Han Dynasty. Later Wang Yi added his own work "Nine Thoughts", which became seventeen chapters. The whole book is mainly based on Qu Yuan's works, and the other chapters also inherit the form of Qu Yuan's Fu. Because of its use of the literary style, dialect rhymes, customs and products of the Chu region (note: today's Hunan and Hubei areas), it has a strong local flavor, hence the name "Chu Ci", which has a profound impact on later generations of poetry.