Abstract As the citizen class continues to expand, different literary works are needed to reflect their spiritual life. The main literary styles of ancient Chinese market literature have experienced changes from Han Yuefu, Southern Dynasty folk songs, Tang and Song legends, Yuan dramas to Ming and Qing novels, and the breadth and depth of reflecting social life are also constantly increasing.
Keywords: Market literature, legends, dramas and novels
Regarding the categories of ancient Chinese literature, Huang Zongxi mentioned "Taige literature" and "Mountain and forest literature"; Mr. Lu Xun had Langmiao literature and "mountain and forest literature", "helping literature" and "bangxian literature" and other remarks. Although the classification standards are different, the mentioned "mountain and forest literature", "mountain forest literature", and "bangxian literature" are what we usually call "market literature" (or citizen literature). It can be seen that market literature plays an important role in the history of Chinese literature. status. From a certain perspective, the emergence and development of market literature represents the development trend of China's feudal society, affects the direction of Chinese literature, and lays a solid foundation for the development of modern Chinese literature.
The "market" mentioned here is the general name for the city street. "Business literature" refers to literature that is circulated among ordinary people for their appreciation and entertainment. In the Ming Dynasty, Li Kaixian collected erotic poems from the market and wrote the "Preface to the Romantic Poems from the Market". Xin Xinzi's "Preface to the Poetry of the Plum Blossom in the Jin Ping" says: "Although this translator often talks about the market place and gossips in the boudoir, many ancient works have mentioned "the market place", which shows the extensiveness of the market place literature. Regarding its emergence, development and evolution, a general outline can be clearly drawn from the literary styles of the following historical periods.
1. Some Folk Songs in Han Yuefu
Market literature seems to be traced back to some folk songs in Han Yuefu. For example, "Orphan's Journey" writes about the tragic experience of an orphan. Because his parents died young, he was tortured and enslaved by his brothers and sister-in-law, and he was miserable. This poem exposed the corruption of exploiters such as landlords and businessmen at that time, reflected the miserable life and resentment of the working people, and had great social significance. "Travel to the East Gate" tells the story of an urban poor who took risks when faced with a desperate situation in life. It reflects the intensification of social conflicts at that time and the fact that the lower class people were forced to resist. "Mo Shang Mulang" tells the story of the mulberry-picking girl Luo Fu who refused the prefect's teasing. It praised Luo Fu's steadfastness and wisdom, exposed the ugliness and stupidity of the prefect, and reflected the debauchery and shamelessness of the upper class at that time. These folk songs from the Han Dynasty Yuefu are circulated in the city, reflecting the lives, thoughts and feelings of the lower class.
Wu Ge and Xiqu among the Folk Songs of the Southern Dynasties
Guo Maoqian said in "Yuefu Poetry Collection": "Since Yongjia crossed the river, it went down to Liang and Chen. Xiandu was established, and Wu Sheng's songs began here. ?Xiqu songs originated from Jing, Ying, Fan and Deng. "Wu Ge" originated in the Jiangnan area in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, centered on Jianye. There are 326 existing lyrics, including more than 20 types such as "Midnight Song" and "Duqu Song", most of which are love songs.
Among them, "Midnight Song" is a famous chapter in Wu Sheng's songs. There are 42 existing songs. Although some of them are close to pornographic depictions, they are generally healthy. "Xiqu" originated in the Jingchu area in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and both sides of the Han River, including Jiangling, Xiangfan, Dengxian and other cities. There are 142 existing pieces, including 34 pieces such as "Stone City Music" and "Wuye Cry", most of which are about merchants. A life on the water and a business woman bidding farewell to the pregnant woman. It can be seen that "Wuge" and "Xiqu" are mostly products of the market, and "Xiqu" has the most obvious market characteristics.
3 Singing literature and scripts in the Tang and Song Dynasties
Market literature developed into the mid-Tang Dynasty, and its main form was speaking and singing literature, such as Bianwen and some folk lyrics. Bianwen initially focused on promoting Buddhist scriptures, but by the late Six Dynasties it had penetrated deeply into the people. By the Tang Dynasty, "vulgar talk" became even more popular. With the popularity of singing and singing activities, its content has also expanded, and gradually extended to telling and singing secular stories, and one category specializes in telling folklore. For example, "The Bianwen of Meng Jiangnu" reveals the suffering caused by heavy corvee work to the people and the tragic experiences of ancient working women through singing and singing of tragic scenes such as Meng Jiangnu sending clothes thousands of miles away, searching for her husband from afar, crying down the Great Wall, and identifying corpses.
Among the tunes and lyrics discovered in Dunhuang, folk tunes and lyrics have a wide range of themes, and some works that reflect citizens' lives and the love between men and women have particularly prominent market characteristics.
In the Song Dynasty, a major change occurred in the development of ancient Chinese novels, that is, the emergence of "huaben" novels. "Huaben" mainly reflects the thoughts and lives of urban residents, mostly with love and marriage as themes, reflecting the oppression of young men and women by feudal forces and the desire and pursuit of young men and women for the freedom of marriage. For example, "The Passionate Zhou Shengxian in Naofan Tower" tells the life-and-death love story between Zhou Shengxian, the daughter of a wealthy businessman, and Fan Erlang, a commoner. It shows a bold rebellion against feudal society and a persistent pursuit of free love.
Zaju and Southern Opera in the Four Yuan Dynasties
Yuan Zaju was developed on the basis of northern opera. It combines music, song and dance, dialogue, work, etc. to perform stories. A comprehensive stage art. It appears with rich and profound ideological content and brand-new artistic form, and has achieved a status equal to Tang poetry and Song poetry in the history of Chinese literature.
According to statistics, there are about two hundred playwrights in the Yuan Dynasty. In addition to calligraphy talents and actors and actresses, there are also doctors, businessmen, civil servants, military generals and many unknown authors. Some expose the darkness of society and reflect the suffering of the people, such as "The Injustice of Dou E", in which the protagonist Dou E is kind and peaceful, willing to stay alone and lonely, but was brutally killed; some praise the people's resistance struggle, such as the story of "Wangjiang Pavilion" The story records the surrender of the powerful Yang Yanei; some praise the peasant heroes, such as "Li Kui Bears the Jing", which depicts Li Kui's heroic character of being reckless, straightforward and jealous; some describe love and marriage, reflecting the tragic fate of women, For example, in "The Horse on the Wall", Li Qianjin and Pei Shaojun fell in love and resolutely abandoned their families and ran away, remaining unyielding in the face of feudal forces.
Nan Opera is a form of opera sung with Southern operas during the Song and Yuan Dynasties. It absorbed some of the advantages of Yuan dramas. When Zajus tended to decline in the late Yuan Dynasty, Nan opera flourished. There are more than ten kinds of Southern Opera scripts from the Yuan Dynasty that have been handed down to this day. Among them, "The Legend of Pipa", which has a high level of achievement, has shaped Zhao Wuniang's excellent character of respecting the elderly and showing compassion for the poor. It has prominently demonstrated the traditional virtues of Chinese working women and has aroused great interest among the citizens. Very strong response.