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BULLETIN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CHINESE LITERATURE NATIONAL CHENGCHI UNIVERSITY NO.7
Publication date： 2007-06
There has not been much research done on sea myths in the past. Most scholars are of the opinion that since China’s earliest inhabitants lived in the northwestern plains, far from the sea, from very early times they tended to focus on land power and develop a mainland culture. As a consequence, myths about the sea are assumed to be relatively undeveloped. However, in the Shanhai jing 山海經, we find primitive sea -gods fiercely and wildly protecting the boundary between land and sea. We also see versions of myths relating to the sea and collections of strange and marvelous myths about overseas lands and oceanic paradises that show that those early inhabitants invested the vast seas before them with considerable sentiment and imagination. This paper looks at the beliefs behind the half-snake, half-bird image of the sea god from the perspectives of mythical archetypes and religious phenomenology; we will also examine the myths of the jingwei bird filling the sea with stones 精衛填 海, the oceanic Guie 姑射 mountain, and the mystical Penglai 蓬萊 mountain in terms of archetypal images of the sea and religious phenomenology. Besides bringing out the characteristics and content of these ancient sea myths, we also hope to take a look at these ancient myths from a new interpretive perspective.
Xin Yue-Fu which discussed current political situation and suffering of people was classical satiric poetry in ancient Chinese. It achieved a brilliant achievement from High-Tang to Middle-Tang. The academic circle expounded Xin Yue-Fu merely around representative works belong to Du Fu, Zang Ji,Wang Jian, Bo Ju-Yi, Yuan Zhen, Pi Ri-Xiou and so on. Xin Yue-Fu has never been overall searched and the poets who were pivotal significance in the development of Xin Yue-Fu have not been indicated exactly yet.In this article the author sifted poetry comprehensively from Quan Tang Shi and discovered 641 poems of Xin Yue-Fu in Tang. After combed out the development trajectory the author ascertained that the Li Bo’s 21 poems of Xin Yue-Fu were the first view to focus on this issue since the poets in Early-Tang had done piecemeal. It not only fired the Yue-Fu poetry recovering the social spirit of Han Yue-Fu but also initiated the new state of discussion on the current political situation with evolutional issues for Yue-Fu. Yuan Jie and Du Fu just based on them to mature the Xin Yue-Fu. Yuan Jie’s 35 poems and Du Fu’s 65 poems of Xin Yue-Fu simultaneously emerged out in the end of High–Tang and revealed a climate of composing Xin Yue-Fu, but their works were quite different in the issues of allegory, feature of style and route of development. The Xin Yue-Fu in Middle-Tang was flourished and full of participant poets. Kinds of represented wordsmanship of Xin Yue-fu were also outstanding in this period. Especially Li Shen, Yuan Zhen and Bo Ju-Yi retrieved from Du Fu and Yuan Jie’s pair of spreads and refined their fortes harmoniously. They made a contribution to reconstruct synthetic modality for Xin Yue-fu. After resurgence was failed and the political ambiance turned to dreariness after the Gan Lu coup in End-Tang the satiric poetry were drowsy and Xin Yue-Fu quieted down. Only Pi Ri-Xiou and Yu Fen inherited the Yuan Jie’s path and finalized the context of Xin Yue-fu for the Tan Dynasty.
According to the comprehensive examination of the process citing Zhuangzi to interpret Laozi in Wang Anshi School, it can be induced in three ways: the first way is scholars were used to quote the whole paragraph or few sentences from the book Zhuangzi directly while interpreting the contents of the book Laozi to echo the Studies of Laozi’s Philosophy for the conclusion or the theoretical arguments; The second way is scholars make the comparison between the significance of chapters selected from Laozi and Zhuangzi. The thought and the fable in each chapter of the book Zhuangzi including Qiwulun On levelling all things), Yangshengzhu (The Preservation of Life), Qujia Opening Trunks, or A Protest against Civilization), Ying diwang (The Normal Course for Rulers and Kings), Tiandi (heaven and earth), Shanmu (The trees on the mountain) were all being used to interpret Laozi’s ideas and to echo one another. The third way is scholars cite the specific ideas and terms from the Studies of Zhuangzi’s philosophy to compare with the thought of Laozi and to criticize each other such as zhenzai (True Ruler), zhenjun (Perfected Lord),wuwo (no-self), sangwo (lost myself), zhiren (Perfect Man), shenren (Holy Man), yi ming mie tian (Destroying heaven’s secret due to the human behavior), yi gu mie ming (Destroying life due to the accidents), fan yi xiang tian (Returning to nature). Overall speaking, by classifying the thoughts of Laozi and Zhuangzi under the same theoretical framework, the arrangement of the footnotes would show even more the inner part of Laozi’s thought.However, there are still few cases put Zhuangzi and Laozi in different category bases. The authors might make use of the subjects under discussion to put over their own ideas. The study is aimed to have an in-depth analysis and to draw a comprehensible outline about “Citing Zhuangzi to interpret Laozi” in Wang Anshi School.
Chen Li was a classics scholar, thinker and Chinese phonologist;however, few people paid attention to the other field—poetry. His poetic achievements and concepts were reflected by reading his “Lun Tzu cut-shorts” and knowing his attitude. This article inquired into Chen Li’s six lyrics of “Lun Tzu cut-shorts,” which were discussed the following dimensions: （1）the status of Li Pai’s lyrics, （2）Su Tung-po’s “Tung Hsien Ge” quoting the story in Shu province,（3）Chiang Pai-shih’s “An Hsiang” and “Shu Ying” which showed his obscure allusion,（4）the Taoism master Chen Te-hsiu’s poetic feelings, （5）Wu Wen-ying’s clear and resounding works, （6）Chang Yu-tien’s lyrics full of seclusive thoughts. To sum up, Chen Li was quite familiar with the works of Chang Yen, Wu Wen-ying, and Chiang Kuei. He thought a poet should not write a poem with the attitude of classics but retain the graceful and restrained characteristic of a poem.
In Hsin Wei Shih Lun, Hsiung Shih-li presents the theory of “unity in essence and action” which has its own significance and undeniable value; however, the argument between Confucianism and Buddhism caused by this theory and Hsiung’smodification of his original ideas reveal that there is a need for reexamination on it.Although his later works, such as Yuan Ju, T’i Yung Lun, Ming Hsin P’ien and Ch’ien K’un Yen still develop the spirit of this theory, the study of Buddhism has embodied in them deeply. Especially in Ch’ien K’un Yen which is purely elaborated from “Tuan Juan”of Ch’ien and K’un, it is perceivable that the theory of “unity in essence and action” can still be discussed without referring to the study of Buddhism. Hsiung also confessed that although Ch’ien K’un Yen was written while he was seriously ill, he was at ease with various thoughts thinking, “This is a year of bad luck.” Therefore, when it comes to the final conclusion of Hsiung’s concepts in his later years or even through his lifetime, Ch’ien K’un Yen would certainly be the central idea to focus on.
In January 1922, Vasil Eroshenko(1889-1952), Russian blind poet and Esperantist, came to Beijing and stayed at Lu Xun and Zhou Zuo Ren’s home April 1923. During the late 1921 to 1923, Lu Xun translated Eroshenko’s thirteen fables and a fairy drama, and Lu Xun’s works were apparently affected Eroshenko’s works and thought. In this paper, I would like to discuss three main points: first, Eroshenko’s effect and Lu Xun’s reflection on the social tasks of the intellectual during the May Fourth Movement; secondly, the image of the intellectual character, Fang Xuan Chuo, in Lu Xun’s short story Dragon Boat Festival” and Fang as the first one of Lu Xun’s intellectual character series: last, Lu Xun’s reflection on the relationship between the intellectual and the subaltern and the positive images of the subaltern characters in Lu Xun’s other stories in 1922.
Shu-li Chao’s mission to popularize literature for revolution emerged in 1934, and his set his writing goal to be communicative with the laymen ever since. His popularization trend positioned folk literature as “writing for villagers who can read, and have them introducing the writing to illiterates.”Therefore, writing that is comprehensible to illiterates is the key factor to literature popularization, and also a distinguishing factor from other light literature. To achieve this goal, he has made much “intentional” efforts, among which folk literature perspective is the main inspiration point in creation. This study discusses his folk literature perspective and writing practice through Chao’s opinions on folk literature and usage of folk literature to encourage “public creation”.Keywords: Shu-li Chao, Folk literature, Light literature, Public creation,Popularization
An earth-shaking change happens to the Chinese society, at the early thirty years of the establishment of People’s Republic of China, which is the period of Mao, Ze-Dong as the chairman of the PRC (1949-1966) and Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). The interpretation of the historical period emphasizes the ignored, and devalued common people’s daily events to discover their voices and incurrence, instead of the grand, unifying, systematic, and historical discourse of the traditional structure. Therefore, the texts are from Wang,Tzeng-Chi’s works from 1920 to 1997, who has joined every movement in the thirty years. Under the texts, nobody and small events, which are hidden behind, are presented to show the unavoidable difference of official documents non-official documents appearing in the society. Thus, there are various about history. Moreover, by the “Later Year Innovation”, Wang, Tzeng-Chi presents a non-typical style in the Chinese novels in the New Time.
