On Mulian-Drama Of Henan

Mulian-Drama was born in the Goulanwashe of Nonthern-Song Dynasty. Henan is the cradle of Mulian-Drama and one of the main areas where Mulian-Drama is popular. Basing on field work and documentary materials, this thesis has done some preliminary explorations of Mulian-Drama in Henan Province to which researchers have paid little attention.This thesis altogether is divided into three major parts: the introduction, the main text and the conclusion.The introduction generalizes the status, the researching actualities of Mulian-Drama of Henan, as well as the point of view, the thread of thought and the methods used in the thesis.According to the logical order, the main text is divided into three parts:Part one: the history and the present situation of Mulian-Drama of Henan. Here, the author outlines the evolution course of the story of Mulian's saving his mother and Mulian-Drama, especially the state of Mulian-Drama in Song and Ming Dynasties, and the highlight is analyzing some opinions about the performing shape of the Songzaju Mulianjiumu. The author holds that it is extremely possible that the songzaju Mulianjiumu had been shown as a series of acts for seven or eight days. Then, taking the documentary materials and the results of field work as evidences, the author makes a judgment that the Mulian -Drama has been popular for a long period in most areas of Henan Province.Part two: the resource of the plots and the ideological implication of Mulian-Drama in Henan. The author divides the present scripts of Mulian-Drama of Henan into two systems and traces their resource by comparing them with Bianwen and Mulian-Dramas in other areas. It is believed that Mulian-Drama of Henan stems from Songzaju Mulianjiumu and has some variations. On one hand, it's plots has been influenced by Baojuan and certain folklores. On the other hand, it's ideology absorbs the particular concept of Xiao that comes from the harsh realities of the lower class and is far from the traditional Ru's concepts.Part three: the performing shape of Mulian-Drama of Henan. The Author believes that Mulian-Drama of Henan keeps partly the humor and miscellany, which feature Songzaju, and includes some ingredients of the ancient Nuo, while it appears with an almost perfect form of the traditional Chinese opera. So, it is the synthesis of the three factors mentioned above.The conclusion is that Mulian-Drama of Henan is of great value at least in three fields: the folklore, the religion and the history of the traditional Chinese opera.