The Vicissitudes of Life in a Playful and Defiant Playwright’s Writing: A Re-Discussion on the Fighting Spirit in Guan Hanqing’s Dramas

Abstract

Guan Hanqing is a typical representative of the literati who fell into the lower end of society during the transition from Jin to Yuan. To fight against authority and wickedness, he pretended to be cynical and unconventional and created a series of plays in a wild and humorous manner, demonstrating his distinct and independent character. The social, historical, and romantic dramas he crafted with dedication and passion reflect the spirit of his time, which reviled darkness and yearned for enlightenment. The women in real-world life and historical heroes in his dramas are imbued with a spirit of upholding justice, a reverence for freedom, and a readiness to take bold action, shining with the radiance of cultural transformation and even humanistic liberation in recent antiquity.

Keywords

Guan Hanqing / Yuan drama / cultural transformation

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