Shujing

Shujing

 or Shu-ching

One of the Five Classics of Chinese antiquity. Documenting China's ancient history, the Shujing contains the oldest Chinese writing of its kind. It consists of 58 chapters, of which 33 are generally considered authentic works of the 4th century BC or earlier. The first 5 chapters purport to preserve the sayings and recall the deeds of emperors who reigned during China's legendary golden age; the next 4 are devoted to the Xia dynasty; the next 17 chapters deal with the Shang dynasty; and the final 32 chapters cover the Western Zhou dynasty.