Four internationally renowned scholars – three from Germany, one from China – attempt to define origin and essence of literary criticism in modern and contemporary China. Literary criticism in China may have started several hundred years ago, when Chinese literati discussed numerous aspects of Chinese literature. This issue, however, focuses on modern times, the recent century. Many views will be controversial or even provocative. Nevertheless, the contributors’ aim lies not in blaming literary criticism in modern China but in igniting a discussion about the possibility of writing a history of Chinese literature in China. (Themenheft 2011 der ORIENTIERUNGEN: Zeitschrift zur Kultur Asiens, hrsg. von Berthold Damshäuser und Wolfgang Kubin, Uni Bonn)