The Dongping Mirror. "outlaws Of The Marsh" Study

Shui Hu Chuan (Heroes of the Marshes) originates from the uprising led by Song Chiang in the late stage of North Song Dynasty. The fragments of accounts about the activities of Song Chiang and his fellowmen are recorded in History of Song Dynasty, among which events occurred in Dong Ping are also referred to. Early in Yuan Dynasty, Dong Ping has become the creative center of Shui Hu stories. Shui Hu Chuan is a combination of history, huaben(scripts for story-telling) and Shui Hu stories of Yuan Drama, which lies mostly on the depictions of Dong Ping stories. The Mirror research on Dong Ping, based on the novel, is to analyse and verify the places, figures and events depicted in the fiction in a place-to-figure and figure-to-event appproach. Research on Shui Hu Chuan from the perspective of regional culture, on the one hand, can explore the verities of Shui Hu stories and represent the sources and spreading of Shui Hu stories, so that the novel created by Luo Guanzhong based on historical facts can contrast finely with the realistic history reflected in the novel. On the other hand, such research perspective can offer reference to the local development of Shui Hu culture and meanwhile serve the local economic and cultural construction.The present thesis is divided into three main parts, including the introduction part, the main body and the conclusion part.In the introduction part, this thesis explains the research purpose and significance of the study according to the evolution of ShuiHu stories and the historical organizational system of Dong Ping. Also, the thesis looks back on the history and current situation of Dong Ping research on ShuiHu Chuan and briefly introduces the research methodology and content of the thesis.Chapter one introduces Dong Ping's geography, tring to analyse and verify the verities of some major places involved in the novel such as Zhu Jia village, Li Jia village, Hu Jia village, An Shan town, Jing Men town, Wen Shang County, Dong Ping county and Shou Zhang county.Chapter two places emphasis on Dong Ping's figures depicted in ShuiHu Chuan and attempts to investigate and verify the actual conditions about the government officials(such as Chen Wenzhao, Cheng Wanli and Dong Ping), plantation owners(such as Zhu father and son, Li Ying, Hu brother and sister), other figures in the plantation(such as Du Xing, Ruan Tingyu and the aged Zhongli), other common people like Li Ruilan and other heroes of the marshes gathered in Dong Ping.Chapter three elaborates events occurred in Dong Ping in the novel. This chapter falls into three sections, which are mainly concerned with the analysis of several main plots of ShuiHu stories occurred in Dong Ping, including the official's unjust sentencing on Wu Song, Li Kui's double victories, and the heroes' fighting against Dong Ping county. Furthermore, this chapter also exerts to reveal the part and significance the novel holds in the entire fictional structure.Chapter four elaborates events occurred in Dong Ping in the novel. This chapter falls into four sections, which are mainly concerned with the analysis of several main plots of ShuiHu stories occurred in Dong Ping, setting fire to Zhu Jia Restaurant, three attacks on Zhu village, Sun Li's tactical acting as an undercover agent, Li Ying's joining the heroes of Mountain Liang, Furthermore, this chapter also exerts to reveal the part and significance the novel holds in the entire fictional structure.Chapter five introduces the completion of the Shui Hu Chuan's Dong ping stories spread widely of related piays and florlore,and it has made a profound influence.The conclusion part sums up the whole thesis, reveals the impacts of Dong Ping culture on the writer's creating of ShuiHu stories from the regional perspective and provides reference to the local development of Shui Hu culture.