Originally a venue for scholarly reading, the book society later evolved into literary guilds for non-religiou…
Originally a venue for scholarly reading, the book society later evolved into literary guilds for non-religious performers, storytellers, and playwrights. The authors were called talents, which prompted some Neo-Confucians to lament the decline of folk customs. Records mention societies such as the Yuanzhen, Guhang, and Jiushan Book Societies. With the rise of storybook fiction and opera, these groups developed structured hierarchies and early commercial workflows for publishing.