New Discussion on Feng

Author: Li Jinkun / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-12-01
Features:
(3) The Theory of North-South Cultural Fusion. Wang Yi of the Eastern Han Dynasty noted the influence of both northern and southern cultures on the Chuci in his Commentary on the Chuci, but he leaned more toward northern culture, so Wang Yi did not yet fully articulate the concept of the north-south cultural influence theory. The earliest scholar to confirm the presence of north-south cultural elements in Chuci culture was Liu Xie of the Southern Dynasties period (Southern Qi and Liang). He believed that in works like Qu Yuan’s Li Sao, there were four aspects similar to northern cultural classics, as well as four aspects distinct from northern cultural classics and containing southern indigenous culture. Qu Yuan’s Li Sao was a great work that "borrowed the essence of classics" and "forged magnificent words," which was an outstanding discovery. As a result, Liu Xie’s Discourse on the Li Sao became a comprehensive theoretical critique of the Chuci in the history of Chinese literary criticism. Later, scholars like Wang Guowei and Lu Xun became representatives of the north-south cultural fusion theory. Works such as History of Chinese Literature edited by You Guoen, History of Chinese Literature edited by Zhang Peiheng, History of Ancient Chinese Literature edited by Guo Yuheng, and Cheng’s General History of Chinese Literature by Cheng Qianfan all adhere to the north-south cultural fusion theory. This theory fundamentally corrects the biases of the northern cultural influence theory and southern cultural influence theory by recognizing both foreign cultural influences and the role of indigenous culture, aligning more closely with Marxist historical materialism and dialectical materialism and being widely recognized in the field of Chuci studies.
(4) The Theory of Four-Corner Cultural Aggregation. The proponent of this theory is Xiao Bing. He argues that Chuci culture is primarily based on the shamanistic culture of Southern Chu, while also absorbing the nutritional components of the Dongyi, Xixia, and Beidi cultures, forming a multifaceted, crystalline structure influenced from all directions. This perspective broadens the scope of Chuci studies, highlighting the richness and complexity of Chuci culture. However, as a Chuci scholar, Xiao Bing’s preferred and most skilled approach is to decode the mystical codes of Chuci culture from the perspective of folkloristics and mythology, making Qu Yuan’s works almost a collection of folkloristic and mythological texts. Consequently, this approach naturally dilutes or overlooks the spirit of Qu Yuan as a great patriotic poet. Additionally, Xiao Bing’s decoding of Chuci culture lacks the field research and empirical investigation seen in Frazer’s Golden Bough, relying more on theoretical deduction and logical reasoning. This raises doubts about the reliability of his conclusions.
(5) The Theory of Pan-Pacific Cultural Influence. The theory of pan-Pacific cultural influence is a broader Chuci study theory that transcends national boundaries. Its representatives include some Hong Kong and Taiwan scholars from the "Cambridge School," such as Su Xueling, He Zhuzhang, Ling Chunsheng, and Rao Zongyi. They hope to find a unified folkloristic cultural background for Chuci culture, enabling Chuci studies to directly connect with global cultural academic research. Their aspirations are understandable. However, proponents of this theory often lack sufficient scientific and empirical evidence, frequently getting bogged down in theoretical elaborations. While their views are innovative, most of their conclusions are not convincing. Moreover, early societies across different ethnic cultures in the world often share striking similarities in customs and practices. Given this, using certain common features of primitive society to explain the pan-Pacific cultural phenomena in Chuci culture seems like a case of forcing a square peg into a round hole.
(6) The Theory of the Fusion of Southern Chu Shamanistic Culture and Warring States Scholar Culture. Chen Tongsheng advocates this view, which essentially falls under the category of north-south cultural fusion. He summarizes the characteristics of Chuci culture by combining the romanticism of Southern Chu shamanistic culture with the era spirit of Warring States scholar culture, highlighting the unity of: rationality and irrationality, shamanistic mythology and scholar culture spirit, and bold imagination and passionate fervor. This theory emphasizes the near source of Chuci culture—the Warring States scholar culture—but overlooks its distant source—the cultures of the Xia, Shang, Zhou dynasties and the philosophers of the Spring and Autumn period. This approach suffers from the flaw of prioritizing the immediate over the profound.
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