On the creation characteristics of historical novels during Ming and Qing Dynasties

The Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms is the first work and the most important masterpiece of historical novels during Ming and Qing Dynasties.Under its influence,historical novels were popular during Ming and Qing Dynasties,displaying some common creation characteristics in the following aspects:the artistic form,the creation method,the thought tendency and the character description.They may include: artistic form characterized by chapter type;the creation method focused on practical facts but with the combination of virtual and reality and emphasizing facts rather than fiction;ideological trend of the Confucian doctrine being publicized;images being idealized and stylized.The formation of these creation characteristics has its specific historical,cultural and ideological reason.