The ideological significance of Peach Blossom Fan is that after the demise of the Ming Dynasty, Kong was the first to show the complicated social and ethnic contradictions in the late Ming Dynasty in the form of drama, evaluate the history of Nanming, and artistically summarize this historical lesson. The works reveal the fatuous corruption of the small court in Nanming, the sharp contradiction between the upper ruling clique and its military leaders, depict the ferocious features of Ma Shiying and Ruan Dacheng persecuting the Qing Dynasty and innocent people, and lash out at their capitulationist nature in times of national crisis. In the performance of positive characters, Kong described Shi Kefa's determination to fight against Qing soldiers, and showed his heroic spirit of dying for his country after "the country changed". The author praised Li's valuable integrity in caring about the fate of the country and resisting evil forces, and affirmed the sense of justice and national integrity of folk artists Liu Jingting and Su Kunsheng who saved the country from peril at all costs, as well as their spirit of justice and national integrity with other prostitutes, artists, booksellers and other lower-class people who opposed power rape, cared about state affairs and refused to obey the people. In the strong contrast between the positive and negative characters, people can see "the inheritance of the Ming Dynasty for 300 years, to whom, to what, to which year and where?" (Introduction to Peach Blossom Fan) The historical tragedy of the country's ruin and the "exchange of map manuscripts" inspired contemporary people's feelings for the motherland and awakened the potential national consciousness.
Based on the love story with Li, the work reflects the decadent and turbulent social reality in the late Ming Dynasty and the contradictions and struggles within the ruling class, which is what the author calls "writing the rise and fall by leaving feelings". This is the theme of the whole play, and it also reflects the author's artistic conception. This shows that the rise and fall mentioned by the author is not only the short-lived fate of Nanming, but also an attempt to point out the historical experience and lessons of why the foundation of Ming Dynasty did not fall for 300 years, as a reference for future generations.
First of all, from the story shown in Peach Blossom Fan, we can see the reasons for the collapse of the foundation in the Ming Dynasty for 300 years. When the peasant uprising army in Li Zicheng captured Beijing and the Qing soldiers took the opportunity to enter the customs, Ma Shiying, Ruan Dacheng and other Yan Party eunuchs colluded with four towns to meet the axe king. They forget that the Central Plains has not been recovered, and the enemy is just around the corner. It is completely a corruption phenomenon that those who buy concubines buy concubines and choose the best among the best. For the benefit of private factions, they not only didn't think of sharing weal and woe with the enemy, but served the public interests and served the private interests, killing each other. Finally, they even sent soldiers from Huang and Liu towns to intercept Zuo Liangyu and let the Qing soldiers take advantage of their weakness to go south. The Nanming Dynasty, which had just been established for one year, followed closely. Ruan Dacheng did not think of the consequences of stopping the left-behind soldiers and Liu in the three towns of the Yellow River. Because they "would rather knock the horse of the northern soldiers than try the knife of the southern thieves" ("Worship the altar"), they decided that it was better to surrender to the northern soldiers than to succumb to the opposition within the ruling group, so they brazenly took this move. A large number of descriptions in the works clearly reveal the historical lessons of the collapse of Nanming, which is indeed of profound practical significance. It makes us clearly see from a series of stage art images how the most decadent and darkest forces in the ruling group of Nanming at that time pushed the country and nation from poverty and corruption to the road of destruction step by step. How to surrender to the enemy step by step from political control of power and exclusion of dissidents?
Secondly, the work also shows the life attitude and political outlook of another part of the literati in the ruling class at that time through Hou Fangyu's activities. The famous literati leaders of Fu She Society showed their political progress in the struggle of inheriting the Party's cause and opposing the remnants of Yan Party. However, when the crisis was deep inside and outside, he was addicted to the Gelou pub, which decided that he was vacillating politically and could not undertake the historical task of saving Nanming from peril. "I thought to myself, those warblers are crazy, rising and falling." In Hou Fangyu's first appearance, the author sang "Love Fang Chun" ironically. Later, he wrote that he was addicted to debauchery and was almost bought by Ruan Dacheng. Finally, he pointed out his mistake through Zhang Daoshi's stick: Look where the country is, where the home is, where the monarch is, and where the father is. Is it because of this relationship that you have been breaking up with him? "Bone blue gray, Xiao Yi long, peach blossom fan bottom sent to the southern dynasties; Not because of redoing the dream of rise and fall, where is the affection of children? " The author criticizes children's feelings with the hatred of rise and fall.
Finally, the author also described the mental outlook of the other two kinds of people for us. One is a patriotic general represented by Shi Kefa. With great sympathy, the author wrote how Shi Kefa inspired soldiers to defend Yangzhou, and finally drowned in the river and died: "When you walk by the river, who will you hate?" . Tears on my face, lonely city, hoping to save my eyes. Fighting a bloody battle of defeated soldiers, jumping out of the tight encirclement, the relatives of the old country, but Song left an empty banquet. On the first line of the Yangtze River, Wutou Chuwei Road is 3,000, which belongs to another surname. The rain turns to clouds, the cold wave rolls eastward, and everything is empty. The spirit is obvious, and the sea is far away. "-"Guluntai "However, in that decadent Nanming Dynasty, Shi Kefa was completely isolated. His name is Cabinet Department and Commander-in-Chief. In fact, there are only 3 thousand disabled soldiers and an isolated city. As a result, there is only one tragic national hero image left.
The other is Li, Liu Jingting and Su Kunsheng. Li used to be a geisha in Qinhuai, and her oppressed and insulted status made her wary of the dark forces of the ruling class. When she learned of Ruan Dacheng's plot to buy Hou Fangyu, she severely accused Hou Fangyu of indecision: "What are you talking about? Ruan Dacheng was obsessed with powerful traitors and was completely humiliated; Women, women are reviled If someone attacks, the official will save it. What is the official position? " And resolutely resigned from the dowry secretly arranged for her by Ruan Dacheng, and influenced Hou Fangyu with his distinctive political attitude: "Just because he helped me buy a dowry, he would be selfish and waste it for the public; Then I know that these hairpin skirts can't be put into my eyes! Take off your skirt and shirt, you might as well be poor; Bujing people are named after them. " What a loyal character this is. If she only had a clear political mind before, then she has been involved in the whirlpool of political struggle in Nanming, and has since become a figure at the forefront of contradictions. The fierce struggle tempered her and promoted the further development of her character. She resolutely refused to remarry, no matter whether it was inducements or threats, she never wavered, and publicly claimed that "slaves are from Fu Bo, so don't enter Zhumen". In the struggle, the glorious side of her character developed again, and finally she refused the humiliation of power rape. Further understand the ferocious face and ugly nature of Ma and Ruan ruling groups, and the profound disasters they brought to the country. When The Night Banquet came out, she even risked her life to curse Ma Shiying and Ruan Dacheng: "I hope you are gorgeous, because you are in a public position. Born in a precious family, I chose the volume for starting a business and added several kinds of backyard flowers. Treat me like a fool and sing the cold wind and icebergs in Xue Hai with me. " -< > "Lin Dong is equal, and my brothel knows respect. The Wei family will never be planted if the adopted son is reused. The ice muscle is the same as the snow intestine, and the core stone is frozen. You can't spit blood all over your chest, nor can you spit blood all over your chest. " -"Jade Cross"
These descriptions make Li one of the most dazzling female images on the stage of China opera. Liu Jingting and Su Kunsheng used to be Ruan Dacheng's guests. When they saw Fu She's Discovery of Leaving Beijing and knew that Ruan Dacheng was Wei Yan's confidant, they brushed it off. Later, regardless of the overall situation, Zuo Liangyu wanted to lead the troops eastward, but Liu Jingting took pains to dissuade him. Ruan Dacheng arrested the literati of Fu She Society, and Su Kunsheng took the initiative to ask Zuo Liangyu for help. After the Ming Dynasty, they would rather retire and firewood than be obedient Qing people, and their strong character was in sharp contrast with Ruan Dacheng and others. Liu Jingting, in particular, combined his bold and chivalrous character with the humor of a folk artist, showing a high degree of optimism. However, due to their social status and life path, these figures can only pin their country's hopes on patriotic generals and literati. When the writers of the Fu Society failed and patriotic generals died, their hopes were dashed. As a result, they entered the Tao, retired, and embarked on the road of passive seclusion one by one.
Judging from this series of descriptions in Peach Blossom Fan, it really shows the feelings of Li's children and the hatred of the rise and fall of the Southern Ming Dynasty, which makes readers or audiences hate traitors for their wrong country, their surrender, their addiction to literati in society, their sympathy for the struggle of traitors at the lower level in the city and their sympathy for patriotic generals who would rather die than surrender. The author's love and hate expressed in his works from the perspective of patriotism are basically clear.
However, depending on the author's feudal orthodoxy, he was always hostile to the peasant uprising led by Li Zicheng. In the play, he called the insurgents hooligans, and praised Zuo Liangyu, who started from suppressing the peasant uprising, as a patriotic soldier like Shi Kefa. Zuo Liangyu said in tears to pay homage to Chongzhen: "I don't intend to raise a civil servant, but the battlefield of a military commander is not fierce." That is to say, he scolded the civilian generals for their incompetence in suppressing the peasant uprising. At the same time, although the author showed some patriotic thoughts with resentment about the rise and fall of the Ming Dynasty, because he was an official of the Qing Dynasty and the harsh rule of the Qing Dynasty, the author could only take an evasive attitude towards the ethnic contradictions at that time. He not only praised the Qing soldiers for "killing thieves, comforting the people and revenging the enemy" (Gossip), but also eulogized the auspiciousness of Kangxi and Sheng Chao. It not only avoided the tragedy of the Qing soldiers' bloody slaughter of Yangzhou, but also covered up Hou Fangyu's rebellion at the end, which had to limit the ideological achievements of his works to some extent.
In the history of literature, there are many legends about the rise and fall of a generation through the separation of male and female protagonists and their joys and sorrows. The appearance of Peach Blossom Fan pushed this kind of creation to a new artistic height, and combined Hou and Li's parting feelings with Nan Ming's feelings of rise and fall more closely. At the same time, the Palace of Eternal Life is better combined with previous works such as Huansha Ji and Moling Spring. However, the Palace of Eternal Life highlights Li Yang's love through the feeling of ups and downs, rather than "writing the feeling of ups and downs through the feeling of clutch". In this way, in the following books, some plots leave the real situation to celebrate the eternal love between Li and Yang, while the love between Hou and Li in Peach Blossom Fan is always closely combined with the historical situation between Ming and Qing Dynasties. As Hou Fangyu himself participated in the struggle of Fu She literati against Yan Party and was a figure of Shi Kefa shogunate, various contradictions within the Southern Dynasties can be reflected through his series of stage activities. Li is a famous prostitute in Qinhuai, and through her, it just reflects the humility and corruption of Nanming.
The general comment of the legendary "Mei Zuo" said: "At the end of the first half, it was all grass-roots struggle, and at the beginning of the second half, it was all stealing security and feasting. The war is divided into its worries, and the banquet is the suffering of the Xiang army. Once it is alive, it is the whole outline, which is related to the chaos in the Southern Dynasties. " It clearly explains the author's artistic conception.
Kong Renshang said in Peach Blossom Fan: "The gains and losses of state affairs and the gathering and dispersion of scholars are the right time and place, and there is no excuse at all." As for the affection of children, the guests ridiculed that although it was slightly dyed, it was not a virtual ratio. " The original works have textual research, and many important historical facts in the legend are listed. This spirit of loyalty to objective historical facts can't be compared with others except Qing Zhongpu in Ming and Qing legends. However, the author also said: "If the name of the play is Peach Blossom Fan, then Peach Blossom Fan is like a pearl, and the brushwork of Peach Blossom Fan is like a dragon. Through the clouds into the fog, straight or horizontal, and the African claws of Tianzhu are always inseparable from the beads. " This shows that the author is not only loyal to historical facts, but also makes it an excellent legendary work through careful artistic creation, such as the ups and downs of ostentation and extravagance, the care of plot, the distribution of roles, the division of labor of Qu Bai and so on, and realizes the better combination of historical truth and artistic truth. The artistic achievements of Peach Blossom Fan are mainly manifested in these two aspects. Judging from the examples and comments of the works, it is the result of the author's creative summary of the creative experience of legendary writers in Ming and Qing Dynasties.
In addition, such as the description of characters and the use of language, it also has its own uniqueness. For example, in "Detective Drama", "How can you eat too much when the previous work is turned over, the old people are scattered, and you are lazy and bullied by the times?" Using solo to express Ruan Dacheng's complaints shows his miserable appearance. "Hateful family values, snobbery; Even if I get to the gate of Wei, I will enter the ranks of my descendants. " There seems to be no such thing as going back on our word. But then he whispered: "If heaven is good, there must be a resurgence. I am a beard! I don't care about honor, I just want to go backwards. " Finally exposed his sinister and sinister true colors. This combination of lyrics and guest lyrics vividly depicts the image of Ruan Dacheng. The song "Mourning for the South of the Yangtze River" in "Afterglow" is even more famous in the world: "I have seen Jinling Jade Palace sing, and Qinhuai Waterfront opened early, but who knows that it is easy to melt. Look at him starting from Zhulou, watching him entertain guests and watching his building collapse. This mossy pipa pile, I used to sleep happily and watch the rise and fall of 50 years. That Wuyi Lane is not surnamed Wang, Mochou Lake is a night crying ghost, and Phoenix Terrace is an owl. The remnants of Meng Shan are the most authentic, and it is difficult to lose the old land. I don't believe this picture is a revision. A set of mourning for Jiangnan, sad songs to the old. " -"Xie Zhi Li Ting Banquet"
However, the author advocates that "it is better to be vulgar than to hurt elegance" in the use of language. Therefore, people feel more elegant than elegant; Caution is more than vividness. In fact, this is the common feature of many literati legendary dramas in language.