A Comprehensive Study On Wusheng Gequ And Xiqu Ge Of The Southern Dynasties

: "Wuge Xiqu" both originated from Jiangnan (Southern part of theYangtze River), since the dynasty of Eastern Jin, it has gained some popularity. Theystarted simply as folk songs (Tuge), which was later accompanied by wind and pipemusic. After the nation had been founded and developed by Liang and Chen dynastieswith the capital at Jiankang, Wuge Xiqu had since evolved and developed there. "Wugewas folk songs from Jiangnan, whereas Xiqu was the folk songs of Jingchu. EmperorYuan of Jin founded the nation in Jiangdong, it later underwent four dynasties: Song,Qi, Liang, and Chen. Wuge Xiqu itself undergoes transformation due to the change ofsocial environment and the impact and influence of musical art from the central part ofChina. The impact was especially noticeable in the era of Song. Since the ruler, Liu Yucame from a humble origin as a soldier; hence he himself enjoyed popular folk songs.Therefore the common folk songs popular among the lower rung of the social stratawas able to enter into the palace pompously and with dignity. The social climate ofemphasis on business enabled businessmen to gain entry into the palace. Asbusinessmen had to seek protection from those in political power, hence collusion andcorruption among government officials and businessmen were rampant.Although there was official machinery for the selection of poems and folk songs, therewas no proper implementation of the system of selection process and also trying tounderstand the problems of people and gather their views on government policies (CaiShi Guan Feng). Due to the frequent changes of dynasties, there was thus no necessityto adopt a long-term cultural policy. The musicians then composed songs with musicalnotes from the Wuge Xiqu which was popular among the common folks. This was doneto satisfy the sensual needs of music and dance entertainment of the upper echelon ofpeople. Wuge and Xiqu consisted of 345 and 142 pieces respectively. A certain part wascomposed by noble men from the upper echelon and literary writers. It was a commonpractice among the upper class of Southern Dynasty to keep singers at home. Theirstatus was between concubines and servants. They were good at singing and dancing.They played a major role when their masters held night feast to entertain their guests. Itwas thus very common for the noblemen and literary writers to compose songs duringthat period.The aim of this dissertation is to probe into the value and status of Wuge Xiqu in thehistory of Chinese literature. Wuge Xiqu served as a catalyst for the birth of the TangDynasty poetry with a format of five-word quatran. This is because this formatoriginated from Wuge Xiqu, and later became the format of Tang Dynasty poetry. Theinter-rhyming between the second and fourth sentences gave birth to the rhyming of theTang Dynasty poetry. Many famous poets such as Li Bai, Liu Yuxi, Li He and LiShangyin were influenced by Wuge Xiqu. These poets learnt the language pattern andskills of composition of Wuge Xiqu. Wuge Xiqu itself was rich and diverse in thelanguage vocabulary. This was indeed the first time that such a skillful, versatile andcolourful way of expression was found in the history of Chinese literature, particularly prominent in rhyming of pun. This innovative way of expression had a far reachingeffect on the poetry in subsequent dynasties.The fifteen Guo Feng (folk songs) in the Book of Odes (Shi Jing) was the earliest folksongs discovered in China. However, Wuge Xiqu can be considered as another sourceof Chinese folk songs. Its inter-rhyming pun together with the pronouns (Lang, Huanand Nong) of Jiangnan characteristics had become the classical tradition of folk songsin the later era. Wuge Xiqu could be considered as the literary hereditary factor (DNA)of folk songs.There are eleven chapters in this dissertation. It includes the following points:the origin of Wuge Xiqu,the time and social factors that produced Wuge Xiqu,the study of other aspects of Wuge Xiqu such as the comparison of similaritiesand differences between Wuge and Xiqu,comparison of Zi Ye Ge and Zi Ye Si Shi Ge.the characteristics of funeral dirges and exorcist culture in Du Qu GeHua-Shan Ji, and the legend of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai,the two Mo Chou poetry in Yuefu.Wuge Xiqu and Palace-style poetry,comparison with the folk songs of Northern Dynasty,the language characteristics of Wuge Xiqu and its repercussion on the poetry ofsubsequent era,a new study of the inter-rhyming of Wuge Xiqu,comparison Shen Xian Ge and Jiu Ge,a discussion of the philosophy and behaviour of the worshiping of god byancient Chinese,a discussion of the language and method of composition of Wuge Xiqu from theaesthetic perspective.There exists a certain relationship between Wuge Xiqu and the subsequent flourishingof Tang Dynasty poetry. The unique folk song characteristics of Wuge Xiqu made theTang Dynasty poetry more popular, glorious and immortal. If we describe Tang poetryas a splendid symphony, then Wuge Xiqu is indeed a brilliant prelude to the symphony.