The paper examines the evolutionary process of xiaoshuoxue \嬼[f, or Fiction Studies, in the pre-Tang period, and its ideological and cultural backgrounds. It holds that Xiaoshuoxue has developed its most important concepts by adopting the ideologies of traditional Chinese philosophy and historical science. The most important of them are xiaodao keguan \怱S飰?(minor Tao has its values), cheng’e quanshan `閌vR漊?(to punish the evil and to encourage the good), and chuanwen yici O 曽_彏(hearsays with different versions). And fiction writers in the Six Dynasties made their contributions by summarizing the main characteristics of fiction as recording hearsays , seeking for wonders and satisfying both eyes and minds, which laid a foundation for later xiaoshuoxue and had far-reaching influences over the creation of fiction creation.
For several decades, scholars have expressed different opinions since Chen Yinque 朒[臽j brought forward the viewpoint that the creation of Yongming style was influenced by the translation of Buddhist scriptures. People usually pay attention only to the source of sisheng, the four tones (V踃?), but this paper tries to take a leave from this practice and make a concrete survey of the two principal activities, the translation of Buddhist scriptures and the origin of the Yongming style. This paper will then illustrate the obvious connection between the two. Both are related to music and the problems they were meant to solve are similar. Moreover, they both have similar syntatical and phonological characteristics, which are the most important evidence linking the two.
Literary awareness in the Wei and Jin Dynasties (Wei Chao 汷g CE 220–265; Jin Chao fKg CE 265–420), as first proposed by Suzuki Torao, is not a scientific argument. From the relationships between practicalism and literary awareness as well as individualism and lyric literature in the Han (Han Chao lIg BCE 206–CE 220) and Wei Dynasties, it can be seen that the fundamental drive of medieval literature was the social changes taking place during these dynasties, the emergence of the literati as a social stratum, and their attitude towards literature. The concept of literary awareness in the Wei and Jin Dynasties cannot describe the literary development in medieval China. As it misunderstands the essential characteristics in the development of Chinese literature, it should be discarded.
This article traces the relationship between ancient Chinese novels and folk religions. Also this article will show how folk religions spread using the White Lotus Order and the Eight Trigram Order as two examples. The author draws the following conclusions. Firstly, as popular literature , ancient novels have a kind of natural connection with folk religions; secondly, the novels involving folk religions featured stories of persecution from feudal rulers; thirdly, when novelists write about the spread of folk religions, they often obscure the true nature of religions; fourthly, the connection between ancient novels and folk religions is incredibly complex.
The profound spiritual and cultural implications involved in the dramas of the Yuan Dynasty (Yuan Chao QCg CE 1271–1368) are related to the existential formation of Buddhism in a special way. For a long time, researchers have paid little attention to this essence. This article attempts to have an insight into the relationship between Yuan dramas and Buddhism.
The royal government of the Jin Dynasty (Jin Chao 懷g CE 1115–1234) had regarded itself as a legitimate Cathay dynasty while the Song (Song Chao [媑 CE 960–1279) and Jin were confronting each other in military and political affairs. The inner China notion and the legitimate Cathay perception were bred in the Jin Dynasty along with the historical trend of merging the Han nationality with all the other nationalities in China. The notion and the concept could also help prove the legality of the rule of China by the Jin Dynasty. The legitimate concept was very systematic and distinct and was displayed in three stages of literature in Jin Dynasty. The concept owned by the governors of the Jin had met its distillation in Zhongzhou ji N-]迻?(Collections of Central Region Literati) written and compiled by Yuan, while the concept was finally acknowledged and accepted by the adherents of the Southern Song Dynasty (Nan Song SW[? CE 960–1279).
The development of Chinese literary genres is largely a history of dissociation and integration. Ci and shi are closely associated at all times, separated at one time, and fused with each other at others. A brief survey of dissociation and integration of ci and shi falls into four periods: 1) starting from the early to the mid-late Tang Dynasty (Tang Chao Ug CE 618–907), when ci was derived from shi and no distinction existed between the two; 2) the late Tang Dynasty and the following Five Dynasties (Wu Dai N擭? CE 907–960), during which ci was separated and known from shi; 3) the Northern Song Dynasty (Bei Song S[? CE 960–1127), when ci developed and experienced a transform and took an initial inosculation into shi; and 4) the Southern Song Dynasty (Nan Song SW[? CE 1127–1279), when ci was shifted completely to shi (poetry) and the two were thoroughly merged.
