Legend of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai
01 · Historical Records
Since the Liang-Zhu legend formed in the Jin dynasty sixteen hundred years ago it has circulated mainly in Ningbo, Shangyu, Hangzhou, Yixing, Jining and Runan and radiated out to every region and every ethnic group of China. It has also spread to Korea, Vietnam, Burma, Japan, Singapore and Indonesia, an influence rare among Chinese folk legends. Like other oral literature and intangible cultural heritage, in the past twenty years, under the impact of modernisation and urbanisation, the mainly orally transmitted Liang-Zhu legend has suffered an unprecedented shock. Since the Tang and Song dynasties Hangzhou had been a place of many academies and gathered men of letters; the formation and circulation at Hangzhou of the Liang-Zhu episode of studying together as classmates is closely bound up with the local tradition of valuing academy education and the imperial examinations.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The legend of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai is one of the four great Chinese folk legends and a treasure of Chinese culture. For a thousand years it has deeply moved people's hearts with its clear theme of advocating the pursuit of knowledge, honouring love and celebrating the endless renewal of life, and has been widely loved by the people for its moving plot, sharply drawn characters and ingenious story structure. The artistic charm shown by the Liang-Zhu legend and the other art forms based on it makes it a rare flower in the forest of Chinese folk literature and art. In the course of circulation the people of every locality have continually enriched and developed its content and even built many tombs, temples and other structures on the theme of the Liang-Zhu legend. Such literary and artistic works as the Yue opera Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, the violin concerto The Butterfly Lovers and the film Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, together with the distinctive custom of seeking study and marriage that grew out of them, constitute a vast Liang-Zhu cultural system.
Sworn Brotherhood at the Straw Bridge
The opening episode of the legend, in which Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai swear brotherhood at the straw bridge pavilion.
Studying Together at Wansong Academy
The episode of pursuing study attached to the Wansong Academy in Hangzhou, the core of the legend's study chapter.
The Eighteen Farewells
The classic passage in which Zhu Yingtai, using West Lake scenery as veiled hints of love, sees Liang Shanbo off along the way.
The Meeting on the Terrace
The episode in which, having learned the truth, Liang Shanbo meets Zhu Yingtai and they part for ever.
Turning into Butterflies
The ending of the legend, in which the two, after dying for love, turn into butterflies flying in pairs.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Hangzhou is the core area of the Liang-Zhu legend and the birthplace of its episode of pursuing study. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai are said to have studied together as classmates for three years at the Wansong Academy in Hangzhou, and such episodes as the sworn brotherhood at the straw bridge, the eighteen farewells by West Lake and the farewell at the Long Bridge are all attached to Hangzhou's scenery; at Phoenix hill and Qingbo gate there were formerly relics and oral traditions of the legend, so that Hangzhou is regarded as one of the most important settings of the study chapter of the legend.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Legend of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai · Legend of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai · Legend of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai · Legend of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai · Legend of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Most of the original oral transmitters have died one after another and the younger generation is unwilling to carry on, so its transmission faces the danger of a broken line; rescue work and corresponding protective measures are urgently needed so that this excellent cultural tradition may be continued.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Chen Qiuqiang 05-1989
- Luo Yuhua
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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