They include:

• Romance of the Three Kingdoms
• Water Margin
• Journey to the West
• The Plum in the Golden Vase (of the Ming dynasty)
• Dream of the Red Chamber (The Story of the Stone)
• The Scholars (of the Qing dynasty).

The Chinese historian and literary theorist C. T. Hsia wrote that these six "remain the most beloved novels among the Chinese."[2]