Chiyou Legend: A Cultural, Economic And Political Resource

Chiyou who was recorded as a treacherous minister and traitor in Han literature now has become a heroic ancestor in the eyes of some Miao.They connect themselves with the fate of Chiyou closely and search for the folklore materials which are related to Chiyou. Those materials are not only the historical records for Chiyou but also the evidence which can improve the status of him. With the local government’s support, the Chiyou legend has already be valuable resources that integrated into construction of local politics, economic and cultural aspects.The utilization of Chiyou legend in Huayuan County has put the ordinary people, local elite, local government and scholars together. On the basis of field work and literary consulting, the author intends to find out the complicated relationships among those characters and to discuss the possibility of their cooperation. This study is just one case of modern exploitations, which makes contribution to the local deduction of legends in modern times and the development mechanism in regional society. It is also useful for us to understand some contemporary social phenomenon.Scholars now do the research for Chiyou according to the history literature, such as Shan Hai Ching, Shang Shu,Shih Chi.The studies mainly focus on the aspects of Chiyou’s tribe, Chiyou’s historical position and the relationships among Chiyou, Yan Ti and Huang Ti,in addition, it has included the local studies of Chiyou in the introduction part.There are four chapters in this paper.At the first chapter, the author introduces the production and living situation of Huayuan County to find out the reasons why the Chiyou legend can be constructed.To form the Chapter Two, the oral narrative have been collating, compiling and publishing gradually, but the inheritance of Chiyou legend by the oral way has not kept with what needed. It is a little bit embarrassing, but the local folklore is extending the olive brand to the legend of Chiyou recently.The Chapter Three is a central part of this paper. Even there are still irreconcilable points among local elites, governments and scholars, but the days when they were hard to communicate with one another have gone. They can sit and talk to find a new way to solute the problem together today.The similar cases as legend of Chiyou are not uncommon, especially in this realistic generation.The forth chapter drew the conclusion on the features about the change of modern legend that let the whole world to reflect。...