A Study On The Phenomenon Of "Men Disguising Women"in Short Stories Of Ming And Qing Dynasties

The ancient Chinese culture of cross-dressing has a long history and is composed of two forms: female cross-dressing and male cross-dressing.Many female cross-dressing stories have been recorded in ancient literature,such as "Mulan from the army","Female Scholar","Liang Zhu" and so on,all of which are about women breaking free from feudal traditions and fighting for their personal values.They have since been passed down and become household names.Women dressed as men are also depicted in poetry,opera and novels.In contrast,male cross-dressing stories are not as well documented,and people are more accustomed to seeing male cross-dressing as a form of stage performance,and do not write much about male cross-dressing in other contexts.However,in the novels of the Ming and Qing dynasties,men dressed as women appeared frequently,which is a special phenomenon unlike any previous historical period.Therefore,this paper intends to take the phenomenon of "men dressing up as women" in Ming and Qing dynasty short stories as the object of study,trying to explore the social and cultural significance implied by men’s cross-dressing,and this paper intends to discuss the following five parts.The introductory section first clarifies the significance of this paper,and then categorizes and compares the current state of research.The first chapter traces the ancient Chinese cross-dressing phenomenon back to its origin,focusing on the origin and evolution of male and female cross-dressing.Male cross-dressing was first used as a ritual in ancient Chinese rituals,and then gradually developed into a form of entertainment performance,which is closely related to the history of Chinese drama.But with the change of social customs and the continuous development of literature,male cross-dressing is not only active on the stage of the drama,it gradually penetrated into people’s daily life,becoming a peculiar social phenomenon and storyline.In the Ming and Qing dynasties,male cross-dressing was more common than in previous generations,and this phenomenon not only showed the complex social life of the Ming and Qing dynasties,but also provided a new way of thinking for novel creation,and some novel authors were influenced by it to create some distinctive male cross-dressing stories,and male cross-dressing gradually became a pattern of novel plots.The second chapter specifically explores the male cross-dressing scenarios in short stories of the Ming and Qing dynasties,from two perspectives: active and passive cross-dressing.In ancient Chinese society,the concept of "male superiority and female inferiority" was deeply rooted,and it was considered a degenerate act for men to wear women’s clothing.In the short stories of the Ming and Qing dynasties,however,there are cases of men actively cross-dressing,mainly for the purpose of pursuing female sex or seeking money or repaying favors.Passive cross-dressing occurs for a single reason,basically when men face difficulties and crises and have no other choice but to use women’s clothing to maintain their livelihood and save their lives.The third chapter explores the social and cultural significance of male cross-dressing.Male cross-dressing is both a storyline and a social phenomenon,and its appearance is closely related to the social and cultural background of different times.In the Ming and Qing dynasties,the phenomenon of men dressing up as women was more common,especially in the middle and late Ming dynasty.At this stage,the social climate changed greatly,the emergence of Yangming Xinxue and socio-economic development and progress continued to launch an impact on Cheng and Zhu.The emancipation of individuality promoted by the schools of thought in the intellectual world shook the sacred status of Cheng and Zhu,making people pursue more and more desire satisfaction,and indulgence gradually became popular in the world.As a result,some people resorted to women’s clothing,straying from the rituals and customs,reflecting their strong curiosity and extreme desire for beauty.In addition,men dressing up as women is a male violation of women’s private sphere,the transformation of social identity and the feminization of men’s speech and behavior after cross-dressing not only fully reflects the social attribute of gender distinction in clothing,but also deeply reveals the hidden male-centered consciousness.Finally,male cross-dressing also reflects the literary tradition of male feminization,which is closely related to the change of the literati’s concubine mentality and aesthetic interests.The concluding section summarizes the whole text,further highlighting the significance of the phenomenon of "male disguise" in short stories of the Ming and Qing dynasties for discovering the social customs of the Ming and Qing dynasties,the gender norms and costume system of ancient China,and the creative psychology of the literati.