Ancient Chinese literature was usually divided into four periods: 1. Pre-Qin period: 770 B.C. to 221 B.C., including the classic works such as the Book of Songs, the Book of History, the Book of Rites, and the Book of Changes. 2. Qin and Han Dynasties: 221 B.C. to 220 A.D., including historical novels such as Records of the Historian, Han Shu, and Han Shu, and poems such as Chu Ci and Han Yuefu. 3. Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties: 220 - 589 AD, including literary works such as Wenxuan, Nineteen Ancient Poems, The Analects of Confucius, and Mencius, and novels such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margins, and Journey to the West. 4. Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties: 581 - 1911 AD, including novels such as Dream of the Red Chamber, Journey to the West, Water Margins, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Scholars, and opera works such as 300 Tang Poetry, 300 Song Ci, and 300 Yuan Qu. The works of these periods had their own unique styles, subjects, forms, and other differences, which also reflected the aesthetic methods and values of different cultural backgrounds.