A Comparative Study of the Ghost Literary Motif in Snow in Midsummer by Guan Hanqing and Hamlet by Shakespeare

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-134
Author(s):  
Cristina-Mădălina Dinu
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Chinese Literature ◽  
Moral Values ◽  
Yuan Dynasty ◽  
Contrastive Analysis ◽  
Didactic Literature ◽  
The World ◽  
Classical Chinese ◽  
Cultural Spaces ◽  
The Yuan Dynasty

In classical Chinese literature, employing the literary motif of the ghost represents both the writers’ desire to escape the pattern of didactic literature promoted by Confucianism and their attempt to revolt against the rigidity of the Confucian dogma that is far too entrenched in reality and inhibits their creativity. Written during the Yuan Dynasty (1279– 1368) by Guan Hanqing (1225–1302), Snow in Midsummer presents the injustice of Dou’E who dies for a crime she did not commit, with the girl returning to the world of the living in the form of a ghost to obtain her justice. The motif of the vengeful ghost also appears in Shakespeare’s (1564–1616) play, Hamlet . In this essay, I will investigate comparatively the dramatic aesthetics through which the spirits are outlined in the two plays, the comedy used by Guan Hanqing and Shakespeare, respectively, in the scenes of the appearance of spirits, and last but not least, the religious substratum contained in the symbolism of these ghosts. After a contrastive analysis of the dramaturgical and aesthetic construction of the two spirits in these plays, I argue that, despite their belonging to two different cultural spaces, both authors question through the supernatural the moral values of the societies in which they lived.

scholarly journals Reflections on Contrasting Views on Themes in Chinese Civilization

1970 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunnar Haaland
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Context ◽  
Present Situation ◽  
Historical Consciousness ◽  
Yuan Dynasty ◽  
Modern China ◽  
Cultural Traditions ◽  
Important Concern ◽  
The World ◽  
The Yuan Dynasty ◽  
Chinese Empire

CORRECTION: On Page 9, Paragraph 3, Line 7, the date of the Yüan dynasty (1279 – 1368) has been changed to Yüan dynasty (1271 – 1368). Like any complex civilization, China contains the confluence of range of traditions of knowledge that people draw on in their interpretations of and reactions to events in the 'world' they are exposed to. However traditions of knowledge serve multiple purposes and may lead to contradictory views on important issues. Chairman Mao when reflecting on two dominant cultural traditions – the Confucian school and the Legalist school - stated that in China there is always two opposite viewpoints. The traditions of knowledge expressing such divergent viewpoints had for more than 2000 years been nurtured and elaborated in the organizational context of the Chinese Empire. An important concern in these traditions is their emphasis on lessons to be drawn from past historical experiences. In the present situation the historical consciousness allows for alternative guidelines for interpreting events taking place on national as well as on global arenas. Keywords: modern China; Leninist capitalism; Confucian superstructure; guanxi; corruption; mianzi (face) DOI: 10.3126/dsaj.v4i0.4510 Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol.4 2010 pp.1-20

scholarly journals The Role of Astronomy and Feng Shui in the Planning of Ming Beijing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norma Camilla Baratta ◽  
Giulio Magli
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Yuan Dynasty ◽  
Feng Shui ◽  
Palaeomagnetic Data ◽  
The World ◽  
Political Message ◽  
Mandate Of Heaven ◽  
The Yuan Dynasty ◽  
The City

AbstractPresent day Beijing developed on the urban layout of the Ming capital, founded in 1420 over the former city of Dadu, the Yuan dynasty capital. The planning of Ming Beijing aimed at conveying a key political message, namely that the ruling dynasty was in charge of the Mandate of Heaven, so that Beijing was the true cosmic centre of the world. We explore here, using satellite imagery and palaeomagnetic data analysys, symbolic aspects of the planning of the city related to astronomical alignments and to the feng shui doctrine, both in its “form” and “compass” schools. In particular, we show that orientations of the axes of the “cosmic” temples and of the Forbidden City were most likely magnetic, while astronomy was used in topographical connections between the temples and in the plan of the Forbidden City in itself.

scholarly journals Conditions For The Formation Of Ming Romans

2020 ◽  
Vol 02 (10) ◽  
pp. 440-444
Author(s):  
Samida Toshmukhammedovna Mustafaeva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Relations ◽  
Ming Dynasty ◽  
Chinese Literature ◽  
Yuan Dynasty ◽  
The Novel ◽  
History Of ◽  
History Of Literature ◽  
The Yuan Dynasty ◽  
Folk Poetry ◽  
Artistic Skill

The Ming period is recognized as a period that introduced a new genre to Chinese literature, especially Chinese prose. During this period, novels from the masterpieces of Chinese literature saw the light of day. They are a valuable source for the study of Chinese literary language, as well as providing valuable information on the plot, historical facts, and the Darwin. In particular, the novel "Three Kingdoms", created in the Ming period, has a large volume and a plot rich in sharp turns, the events of the novel are based on the collapse of the Eastern Khanate, in general, various contradictions in public administration, political, military and foreign relations. The diversity in the author’s depiction of contradictions and struggles, the uniqueness in the depiction of each event, demonstrates the writer’s unparalleled artistic skill. In contrast to the "Three Kingdoms", the plot of “Water Margins” is based on the peasant uprisings and struggles; the play depicts the emergence, development and decline of the peasant uprising. The play praises a number of rebellious heroes, most of the protagonists of the work are extremely vivid, and their character is clearly described. The influence of the successful creation of the novels “Three Kingdoms” and “Water Margins” on the creation of historical and heroic novels of the next period is incomparable. The first phase of the Ming period was a turning point in the history of literature. With the end of the Yuan Dynasty (元朝 Yuán cháo 1206-1368) and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, no other significant works were created during this period, except for two major novels, the Three Kingdoms (《三国演义》) and the River Basins (《水浒传》). It was not until 1465 that there was a renewal in drama and folk poetry.

scholarly journals Birds of the Mongol Empire

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene N. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Yuan Dynasty ◽  
Marco Polo ◽  
The World ◽  
Mongol Empire ◽  
The Yuan Dynasty ◽  
Medical Encyclopedia

The Mongol Empire, the largest contiguous empire the world has ever known, had, among other things, a goodly number of falconers, poultry raisers, birdcatchers, cooks, and other experts on various aspects of birding. We have records of this, largely in the Yinshan Zhengyao, the court nutrition manual of the Mongol empire in China (the Yuan Dynasty). It discusses in some detail 22 bird taxa, from swans to chickens. The Huihui Yaofang, a medical encyclopedia, lists ten taxa used medicinally. Marco Polo also made notes on Mongol bird use. There are a few other records. This allows us to draw conclusions about Mongol ornithology, which apparently was sophisticated and detailed.

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