On The Prohibition And Destruction Of Chinese Ancient Drama

In Ancient China, with its authoritative discourse and overwhelming power, the ban and destruction of numerous works usually brought about sociopolitical and cultural disturbance and disaster. The prohibition and destruction of certain dramas, as a particular revelation of cultural prohibition and destruction, reveals the complexity of cultural policies in different historical periods, and exerts a great influence upon the history of Chinese ancient dramas. This dissertation, in combing the historical materials in lineal sequence, examines the development of Chinese ancient practice of prohibiting and destroying certain dramas and analyzes the effects of the authoritative discourse, in prohibiting and destroying certain dramas, upon the development and evolution of Chinese ancient dramas.Generally, the sequential analysis in this dissertation of the history of prohibiting and destruction of Chinese ancient dramas goes from Pre-Qin Dynasty to Han-Wei, Sui-Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, till Qing Dynasty. Through the discussion of certain typical events of drama prohibition and destruction, this author is attempting to outline the whole picture of drama prohibition and destruction which is always accompanying the development of ancient dramas. In the examination of the nature, reason, purpose, means and result of drama prohibition and destruction, the author is trying to probe into the specific features of drama prohibition in different periods, so as to grasp the historical evolution of drama prohibition and destruction. Meanwhile, in analyzing specifically the acting out of certain dramas, the drama lists, and participants in the dramas, etc., the author traces the conflicts and interactions between royal and folk dramas, the conflicts between high and low dramas, and the conflicts of central and marginal dramas. This author also points out the socio-cultural reasons for the swinging back and forth of drama ecological development. The drama prohibition and destruction emerged in the growing process of ancient dramas, and its change was cioseiy related to the changes of the cultural policies, government ruling and ritual rules in different periods. From Pre-Qin to Han-Wei, Confucian culture ethics of rites and music were established and developed. While the attitude of governments before Song Dynasty were obscure in prohibiting and destroying drama, the ideology of Confucian culture of rites and music had always played a hidden role in suppressing the emergence and growth of drama, as was exemplified in the prohibition of drama in contrast to the encouragement of rites and music from Pre-Qin to Han-Wei, in the prohibition and destruction of drama due to the power competition and cultural conflicts in Sui-Tang Period. Under the political background of authoritative suppression of witchcrafts, pornography, and certain religions, and in the conflicts within the court, the prohibition and destruction of drama in Song Dynasty gave a heavy blow upon the performance of folk dramas. In order to maintain social order, the Yuan Dynasty prohibited the staging of dramas with large audiences. Nevertheless, the flourishing of dramas in Yuan Dynasty revealed that the prohibition and destruction of dramas did not occur much for the government did not support severe suppressing rules. In Ming Dynasty, the strengthen of dictatorship and the fulfillment of the ruling class' morality brought about a series of policies prohibiting...