The literary class is the most unique part of Chinese society. It makes traditional Chinese society different from the West. The litterateur's class does not refer to the nobility or the gentility, neither does it refer to the middle class or the laboring class, and it is not entirely equivalent to the educated class. Research on this particular class began with Matteo Ricci. However, related studies in the 20th century are uncommonly rare, so much so that this class has almost disappeared from the realm of active research, resulting in much misunderstanding regarding the nature and evolution of Chinese society. This essay analyzes the nature of the literary class, general state of research in the 20th century, historical development of the literary class and its interaction with other social classes. Through a review of historical facts, an attempt is made to indicate the direction of future research and to propose a whole new view for the study of the litterateur in traditional Chinese society.