Some of China's most important literature comes from Chengdu. Chengdu has been home to literary giants, such as Sima Xiangru and Yang Xiong, two masters of Hanfu, a mixture of descriptive prose and verse during the Han Dynasty; Li Bai and Su Shi, the most eminent poets of the Tang and Song Dynasties respectively; Yang Shen’an, a famous scholar of the Ming Dynasty; and Guo Moruo and Ba Jin, two well-known modern writers. Chang Qu, a historian of Chengdu during the Jin Dynasty, compiled the earliest local historical records, the Record of Hua Yang State. Zhao Chongzuo, a poet in Chengdu during the Latter Shu Kingdom, edited Among the Flowers, the first anthology of Ci in China’s history. Meng Chang, the king of Latter Shu Kingdom, wrote the first couplet for Chinese Spring Festival, which says, “A harvest year accepts celebrations, good festivals foreshadow long springs.” During the period of the Five Dynasties, Huang Quan, a painter in Chengdu, initiated the Fine-Brush Flower-and-Bird Painting school with other painters. At that time, “Hanlin Painting Academy” was the earliest royal academy in China. Wen Weng, administer of Chengdu during the Western Han Dynasty, established the first local public school named Shishi (literally a stone house), in the world. The school site has not changed for more than 2,000 years, which remains the site of today’s Shishi High School.
The saying "Shu opera towers above all other performances in the world" reflects the achievement of Sichuan Opera and Zaju (an ancient form of comedic drama involving dancing, singing, poetry, and miming). In the city, the first named opera “Bullfighting” was written in the Warring States Period. The first detailed recorded opera was staged in the royal court of Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdom Period. China’s first clearly recorded Zaju was also performed in Chengdu. Tombs of witty Han Dynasty poets were excavated in Chengdu. And face-changing masks and fire breathing
