An analytical analysis and summary of historical literary works—use of silver in the fiction and operas of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties

Frontiers of Literary Studies in China - Tập 1 Số 4 - Trang 555-570 - 2007
Shen Bo-jun1
1College of Literature and Journalism, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

Tóm tắt

The royal courts of the Yuan and early Ming period pursued a paper currency policy and prohibited silver from being circulated by royal decree. But the uses of silver in daily life and commercial activities could be often seen in the fictions and operas of this era. This is an active reflection of social life of that time, and indicates that the binding force of the royal decrees over the subjects was rather limited. From this we can see that it may not be reliable to take the circulation of silver in fictions as a ground to prove that Outlaws of the Marsh was completed in the first years of Emperor Jiajing’s reign (Jiajing Huangdi 嘉靖 皇帝 CE 1522–1566). The difference between the royal laws and decrees and their effects on real life deserve more analyses by researchers.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

Shi Changyu 石昌渝, 2001. “Shuihu zhuan chengshu yu Jiajing chu nian kao” 水浒传成书于嘉靖初年考 (Outlaws of the Marshwas completed in the early years under Emperor Jiajing’s regin) Shanghai Normal University Journey, Vol. 5.

Sun Kaidi 孙楷第, 1982. “Zhongguo tongsu xiaoshuo Shumu” 中国通俗小说书目 (A Catalogue of Chinese Popular Fictions). Beijing: People’s Literature Press, p. 188.

Wang Shenduo 汪圣铎, 2003, “Liang song huobishi” 两宋货币史 (A History of Currencies in the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties). Beijing: Social Sciences Documentary Publishing House, Vol. II, p. 900.

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Thông tin xuất bản

Frontiers of Literary Studies in China

Tập 1 Số 4

555-570

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