''Chuanyue'' ( zh, 穿越) is a Chinese genre of
speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, na ...
where the protagonist
travels back in time to historical periods.
The first modern work of the genre is said to be ''
A Step into the Past
''A Step into the Past'' is a 2001 Hong Kong television series produced by TVB and based on Huang Yi's novel of the same Chinese title. The series tells the story of a 21st-century Hong Kong VIPPU officer who travels back in time to the Warring ...
'' by
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
writer
Huang Yi. Many works that can be categorized as ''chuanyue'' are published by Qidian Chinese Network, including ''
Illumine Lingao''.
Common subgenres
''Qingchuan''
A popular subgenre is ''Qingchuan'' ( zh, 清穿), where the often female protagonist travels back to the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
and engages in romance with the sons of
Qing Emperors
The Qing dynasty (1636–1912) was a Manchu-led imperial Chinese dynasty and the last orthodox dynasty of China. It was officially founded in 1636 in what is now Northeast China, but only succeeded the Ming dynasty in China proper in 1644. The Qi ...
. The three novels ''
Bubu Jingxin'',
''Meng Hui Da Qing'', and ''Yao Hua'' are the first three Qingchuan novels. They are also called "the three hills of Qingchuan novel". Qingchuan novels are of great popularity among
Chinese people
The Chinese people or simply Chinese, are people or ethnic groups identified with China, usually through ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, or other affiliation.
Chinese people are known as Zhongguoren () or as Huaren () by speakers of s ...
, especially the young women. Some of the novels like ''Bu Bu Jingxin'' are so popular that they have already been adapted into TV series. These TV series have won great audience ratings since broadcast.
''Kuaichuan''
Another popular subgenre is ''Kuaichuan'' ( zh, 快穿) which literally means “speedy ''chuanyue''”. This kind of subgenre contains several short stories of different subgenres linking together, either as a recording of competition or experiences in different worlds, with a thematic character.
Publishers
Most of these ''chuanyue'' stories are published by several
light novel
A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...
s websites like: ''Qidian'' Chinese Network, “Red Sleeves”, ''Jinjiang'' etc. When a novel becomes very popular, the publisher may in turn publish it as hard copy; or reproduce the work in other forms like comics or TV drama.
See also
*
Accidental travel
Accidental travel is a speculative fiction plot device in which ordinary people accidentally find themselves outside of their normal place or time, often for no apparent reason, a particular type of the “ fish-out-of-water” plot. In Russian ...
References
{{China-lit-stub
Chinese novels
Literary genres
Fiction about time travel
Chinese literary genres
Chinese speculative fiction