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Novels inZhanghuiti-style refer to a type of traditional Chinese novels divided into several chapters with each chapter headed by a couplet giving the gist of its contents and they were developed fromJiangshi Huaben(script of history-telling) in the Song and Yuan dynasties (10-14^thcentury). Most of classic saga novels were written inZhanghuitistyle. The style went through a long development history from its germination to maturation.Jiangshifocuses on changes of dynasties and war stories and has a big length in its length. The performer needs to divide one story into several parts and finish it for several times. Each part of the story is equal to one chapter in aZhanghuiti-style novel that came into being later. Before telling the story, the performer shall tell its main contents, which are just like the gist of its contents in aZhanghuiti-style novel.

The Yuan Dynasty block-printed edition of Xi Xiang Ji (The Romance of the Western Chamber), which is a novel of Zhanghuiti style.

After a long period of gestation, the first batch ofZhanghuiti-style novels emerged in the early years of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the most famous ones includeThe Romance of The Three Kingdoms, Outlaws of the Marshand so on. The novels were produced by writers after these stories had been popular among ordinary people for a long time and their contents had been gradually enriched after storytellers' continues complementing. Compared withShihuabooks,Zhanghuiti-style novels got big improvement in terms of figment of dramatis personae and plots.Zhanghuiti-style novels are even longer thanShihuaand they are divided into several chapters, each chapter with several sections and each section with its gist.

The Yuan Dynasty block-printed edition of Xi Xiang Ji (The Romance of the Western Chamber), which is a novel of Zhanghuiti style.

After the middle period of the Ming Dynasty, the development ofZhanghuiti-style novels became more mature and famous works such asXi You Ji(Journey to the West), Xi Xiang Ji(The Romance of the Western Chamber) andJin Ping Mei(The Golden Lotus)emerged. Because the social life became more colorful, plots in theseZhanghuiti-style novels turned more complicated and description more vivid, and their contents had almost no relation withJiangshibut types of literature still kept some traces ofJiangshi. By then,Zhanghuiti-style novels were no longer written in sections but had clear chapters and each chapter was headed by a couplet giving the gist of its contents.Zhanghuiti-style novels later developed into copies for the record or for reproduction used inPingshu(popular tales) performance.