The Evolution Of Stories About Baogong In Contemporary Novels

Baogong was a famous official who was honest and upright in ancient China. A large volume of stories about him have been produced. Baogong image scattered among different miscellanies, operas and novels demonstrated the comment of"In front of Baogong who was compared to King of Hell, any social skill was impossible". Over the years, the research was restricted in some yuanqu and novels worked out in the Ming Dynasty in which Baogong image existed. Therefore, this thesis limits the research scope into five contemporary Baogong novels:《Qinfenzha》,《Wanhualouyanyi》,《Wuhupingxiqianzhuan》,《Wuhupingnanhouzhuan》,《Sanxiawuyi》, and the tone of this thesis is thus made to elaborate topics of the evolution, the reason as well as Chinese traditional culture with which stories about Baogong developed.The body of this thesis is composed of three sections. The first section is about the origin and the development of stories about Baogong. Mainly starting from the setting of the story and the image of Baogong, the first describes the development of the story about Baogong in the Song Dynasty and early period of Qing Dynasty. Through this period, the literary creation of Baogong has been characterized with double focuses as the interior structure. On one hand, it can be regarded as a mysterious story which pictured the various lives in the boisterous countryside; on the other hand, it tells how Baogong struggled for justice and the weak. The creation of Baogong image gradually shifted from truth to artistic image in legends, thus offering reference models for following generations. In the Song Dynasty, huaben stories emerged. They were printed versions of the prompt-books used by popular storytellers. There existed in some of them a less important figure initially possessing deity which turned into the perfect God image through on one hand, the description of his wisdom and unselfishness in yuanqu; and on the other hand, the portrayal of his keenness and personality in shuochangcihua in the time of Chenghua in the Ming Dysnasty.The second section is the most important. It portraits deliberately the process, the get and the loss as well as the reason in the evolution. Stories about Baogong in contemperary novels end the time when they were produced in short forms in the Song Dynasty. From the stylistic creativity in the late Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the form of these stories evoluted in the direction of zhanghui, complete structure, and written narration. Some of stories obeyed logic advantages and gradually became the set forms. The extensions of the form cultivated the new development of the double focuses structure, hence the combination with worldly affairs, heroic legends, and chivalry. However, the Baogong image drew back from the hero position because of the stepping in of images of common fellows, heroes and the cavalier as well as the inability of officers in the Qing Dynasty. Although some progress took place, there were some short comings if relating it to contemporary conditions. However, China's feudal society was one ruled by men. Relating to this historical fact, although in contemporary literary about Baogong, the personified characteristics of Baogong has developed in artistic value, yet it was farther and farther from people's expectation that officials should serve the people first.The third section is the summary and the evaluation. Being deeply rooted in Chinese traditional culture, contemporary stories about Baogong are inevitably influenced by it among which folk legends are the most strong. For example, the description of dream about Baogong'birth was just the customary tactic of the myth in which ancient China's kings and princes were born miraculously. However, the plot of which Emperor Renzong recommended talents in dream was quite similar to the folk legend that Emperor Zhouwen recommended Lv Wang in dream, etc. We can conclude that stories about Baogong inherent both merits and demerits. Some are noble, but some are vulgar. It is undoubtedly proved that its wide spreading is closely related to people's wishes. Being endowed with positive ideas, stories about Baogong have won profound artistic value in today's society.