The cultural phenomenon of Chen Sanwuniang

"Chen Sanwu Niang" is a well-known folk tale spread in eastern Guangdong, southern Fujian, Taiwan and Southeast Asia where trendy people live. In 1993, Liu Meifang, a graduate student at the Institute of Chinese Literature at Soochow University in Taiwan, published her master's thesis "Research on Chen Sanwuniang". This was Taiwan's second work after Chen Xiang's "Research on Chen Sanwuniang" and Lin Yanzhi's "Research on Jiajing Litchi Records" This is a treatise that conducts a more comprehensive study on the story of Chen Sanwuniang after other important works.

According to the author, the article took five years to write, and the investigation covered Fuzhou, Xiamen, Putian, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Chaozhou, Shantou and Hong Kong in Taiwan, Fujian and Guangdong provinces; there are more than 100 reference materials. Department, including 90 various treatises, 32 songbooks, scripts, and novels, 13 periodicals, and 27 audio-visual materials.

The local operas involved in the scripts and audiovisuals include Liyuan, Gaojia, Chaozhou opera, Puxian, Huangmei, Haifeng Baizi, Gezi opera (Xiang opera), puppet opera, paper shadow opera, etc.; rap includes songs from Fujian and Taiwan Zaicai, Jinge, Nanyin, Nanguan Baizi, Zhuma, Chegu and Chaozhou song albums and ballads; novels include "The Story of Lijing", "Xiujin Yuan", "Chen Sanwu Niang", "Lijing Yuanxin" "Biography" and "Star" by Japanese writer Haruo Sato; in addition to the Liyuan opera "Chen Sanwu Niang" and the Teochew opera "Li Jing Ji" filmed in mainland China, there are also Hong Kong's "Xin Chen Sanwu Niang" and Taiwan's "Yi Jing Ji" "Spring Announcement to the Imperial Palace", "Chen Sanwu Niang", "Five Niangs Missing the King", etc.; in addition, there are TV series "Li Jing Yuan", stage play "Modern Chen Sanwu Niang" and dance drama "Chen Sanwu Niang".

In 1995, the 15th volume of "Chaozhou City Literary and Historical Materials" published "Li Jing Spring and Autumn" compiled by the city's late well-known dramatist Liu Guanyao, with income from before Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty (before 1521) to 1995 The major events related to "Chen Sanwuniang" for more than 400 years can also be said to be a cultural history of Chen Sanwuniang, including 36 plays, 17 published novels, 22 song albums, and 3 stories. , 26 audio and video products, 68 reviews and research articles, and 68 performances (including 6 film and television shootings).

This is a folk love story that has been popularized for hundreds of years. Regardless of its depth and breadth, it far exceeds similar themes across the country. Today, its story is still evolving. Over the past 20 years of reform and opening up, our city alone has successively created Teochew operas "Yichun Night Encounter", "Lijing Gaiden", "Yichun", "Lijing Gaiden" and the recent award-winning "Yichun Gaiden". This is A unique cultural phenomenon.

In "Research on Chen Sanwuniang", Liu Meifang conducted a comparative study on the development of the story and various versions and categories, and concluded that: "Chen Sanwuniang" is better than "Chen Sanwuniang". Zhang Gong and Yingying in "The Story of Yingying" and Tang Yin and Qiuxiang in "The Fate of Flowers" have more "humanistic romantic spirit" and "human awakening", and "have the value of rebelling against the constraints of the times in consciousness" . Moreover, "with the universality of language, it became popular in Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Puxian, and Chaozhou, and expanded to Taiwan and Southeast Asia through immigrants."

Is it possible to further investigate the cultural phenomenon of "Chen Sanwuniang"? That is, to study its cultural connotation through this phenomenon? Based on the above information, we can as follows Several aspects were investigated and studied:

⒈The historical origin relationship between Chaozhou and southern Fujian. From the fact that the two protagonists belong to Quanzhou in Fujian and Chaozhou in Guangdong, people will find a close connection in history. In the Tang Dynasty, Chaozhou was under the jurisdiction of Fujian for three times, and the jurisdiction of Chaozhou still extends to the counties below Zhangzhou; in the Song Dynasty, a large number of Fujian officials came to Chaozhou to govern, which promoted the spread of Central Plains culture and the formation of Chaozhou dialect; in the Ming Dynasty, as a county in southeastern China Chaozhou and Quanzhou, the main coastal ports, have closer economic and personnel exchanges. These should be the important historical background for the spread of the story of "Chen Sanwu Niang".

⒉According to existing data research, the story of "Chen Sanwuniang" originated in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, which was the nascent stage of capitalist economy in China. Southern Fujian and eastern Guangdong served as windows for foreign exchanges, and democracy The ideological influence of freedom also appeared and was inevitably reflected in literary and artistic creation. This is why the wealthy lady Huang Wuniang dared to throw "handkerchiefs and lychees into pieces" upstairs, and the noble son Chen San actually sold himself as a slave. Years ago, in order to pursue Wuniang, aren't these "daring" and "deviant" behaviors the embodiment of democracy and free thought? Although the government (such as Xiamen) has banned the performance for "instructing obscenity", it has not been able to stop it. Communication, this cannot but be said to be the germination and influence of democratic thought.

⒊The development of the story of "Chen Sanwuniang" reflects the struggle between two different ideological concepts in modern China, "letting go of Yichun in the middle of the mountain" and "Yichun gave birth to a son, Hong Chengchou (the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty)" The legend of the traitor) and programs such as "Chen San Died for Love" and "The Trial of Chen San" reflect the criticism of the main characters in this story, that is, those who violate ethics and ethics should be punished; ", "Yi Chun", "Yi Chun's Complaint to the Imperial Palace", etc. extend the story's ideas of democracy and freedom, especially with Yi Chun as the "humble character", which more strongly reflects a grassroots consciousness.

⒋"Chen San Wuniang" is the oldest opera "Four Parts" in Fujian and Taiwan. "The First Script of Taiwanese Gezi Opera" (according to the "History of Taiwan Film and Drama"). The characters, scenes, language, customs and aesthetics involved in it all have distinctive local characteristics and reflect a The cultural essence and connotation of the birth and formation process of this art form are not only of great value to the study of folk art history, but will also inevitably have an impact on the creation of local themes.

The culture of "Chen Sanwuniang". This phenomenon provides us with an important revelation, which is to pay attention to the study of secular culture.

Culture is generally divided into refined and vulgar cultures. Refined culture mostly exists in the palace, while secular culture exists among the people. There seems to be no clear boundary between cultures. The so-called elegance has vulgarity, and the vulgarity has elegance. Most of the carriers of Chaozhou culture, which is known as "vulgarity and elegance", exist among the people, which is usually called vulgar culture, and it is precisely this part. Culture is rarely recorded in historical records and is mainly passed down among the people, so it is often overlooked by people. The nationwide launch of the protection of intangible cultural heritage is enough to attract people's attention to this aspect.