Shexiang Story And Narrative Style Travel Operations

This article will explore the genre behind the complex intertextual relationships and how these relationships are intertwined with social, cultural, ideological, political and economic factors. Modern Chinese national identity can be understood in two ways:the deeply rooted tradition of multi-ethnic hereditary empire, and a new coat called "nation-state". In the transformation from multi-ethnic empire to nation-state, there is a creative way to maintain the delicate balance between its external independence and internal unity. In order to explain this creative way, I will examine the texts from Ming and Qing Dynasty to contemporary China concerning Yi female chieftain Shexiang’s rebuilt of post road. Shexiang is an important figure in the history of Han-Yi diplomacy. Her active time begins in the late14th century. After her husband Aicui’s death, She Xiang came into power as the regent for the still infant heir to Aicui’s post as Guizhou Pacification Commissioner bestowed by the Emperor Hongwu. As a woman leader, she did some contribution to her tribes and even the whole country. But Han official Ma Ye went against her, and he was finally punished by the emperor. I collected and Shexiang related materials: seven official records, four scholars note, and a number of poetries in ancient Chinese, two Eastern Yi epic, two Guizhou drama scripts,13folk stories, a novel and a TV series. My argument is divided into three parts to explain the genre travel of Shexiang story, and borrow the term "intertextuality" from Richard Bauman and the term "generative poetics" from Earl Miner, emphasizing that national identity is a process of interpretation. The topic of "Shexiang’s reopening of Post Roads" is the focus of analysis because it is involved in all the texts I collected and the understanding of which is crucial to the understanding of Han-Yi historical relationship. Each text has a different interpretation of the story. Therefore, I’m not going to what history researchers usually do, i.e., to explore the authenticity of every events. It is more important to analyze the social environment that naturalizes these narratives.