Jingqi Family: "The Story of the Heroic Sons and Daughters" and Folk Culture

Author: Li Ting
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Since its publication over a century ago, The Story of the Heroic Son and Daughter has had a profound impact on society. However, there are very few research papers or books on it, with the scope limited to the author of the work, textual criticism, ideological content, and linguistic artistry. Few have paid attention to its rich folk cultural content. Faced with a novel like The Story of the Heroic Son and Daughter, which reflects the integration of Manchu and Han cultures in the late Qing Dynasty, the author's research focuses on moving from "literature" back to "historical phenomena." With The Story of the Heroic Son and Daughter as the text, the author attempts to take the Han Bannerman An Family from the book as a case study, combining other historical materials to examine the lives, thoughts, and psychological states of late Qing Bannermen from an anthropological perspective, while also interpreting the Manchu folk culture embedded within it. The book is divided into nine chapters, analyzing the culture contained in the official families during the Jiaqing and Daoguang periods of the Qing Dynasty from aspects such as the Han Bannerman family, the livelihood of the Eight Banners, food, clothing, housing, daily rituals, family language, religious beliefs, cultural personality, and ethnic consciousness.