Originally coming to prominence because of the space limitations in newspapers 'literary pages, the genre is characteristically full of beautiful phrases and moving anecdotes. Many of the masters of this genre were women writers from mainland China who moved to Taiwan as the mainland fell to the communists. They included Chi Chun, Lin Hai-yin, and Chang Hsiao-feng. Each staked out her own place within the genre.
戰後的台灣文壇將華人原已特重「散文」的傳統，更帶上繁花盛開的榮景；這種因報紙副刊有限篇幅應運而起的文風，特徵是詞藻華美、情節動人；外省籍女作家更是其中佼佼，如琦君、林海音、張曉風等，都各自經營出一番天地。