Gaotang Goddess Image Research

Gaotang goddess, also known as the Wushan goddess, is a dazzling pearl in the culture ofThree Gorges. Since“gaotangfu”,“shennvfu”appeared, later scholars has constantly imitatedSongYu and created many opuses to praise Gaotang goddess. In 1920s and 1930s, for theinfluence of the trend of skeptical thought in Ming and Qing,“gaotangfu”,”shennvfu”is mostlyregarded as forgeries, and few scholars even queried the existence of SongYu. When“tanglefu”is excavated，academic world renewed the copyright of SongYu’s opuses. The image study ofGaotang goddess raises a new upsurge.This paper seeks to explore Song Yu’s opuses in a new visual angle, taking“gaotangfu”,“shennvfu”as a starting point, using philology, history, religion, folklore and other researchmethods. It also explores the origin, formation and development of Gaotang goddess in differentvisual angles, searching the influencing factors of the goddess, carding the sequences of Gaotanggoddess, trying to expound the influence on literature of goddess theme. There are five chaptersin the paper:Chapter one introduces Gaotang goddess origin and factors. With the related originalarticles and numerous Gaotang goddess sources analyzing, we explore the prototypes of Gaotanggoddess image, and thoroughly investigating the impact factors about Gaotang goddess image.Chapter two introduces the declining and regression of Gaotang goddess image. The HanDynasty emphasizes Confucianism. The bitchy goddess was not accepted by Hahn people. Sothe Gaotang goddess did not arouse a response in the whole Han Dynasty. The Gaotang goddessimage appeared a briefly decline. Until Wei and Jin Dynasty periods, it appeared numerousglorious poems about goddess. At the same time, the goddess image is also enriched gradually.Chapter three introduces the image of Gaotang goddess in the development circumstance offolks and its literature meaning. Before Tang Dynasty, the Gaotang’s folk spreads of Gaotanggoddess legend were basically following the image molded by SongYu. Until the emergence ofDuguangting, goddess had a big change, becoming a highest religion of Taoism goddess. Itbroadly flowed to spread to develop in the folks by its strong vitality. The goddess faded to go toreligion of Taoism composition gradually and had more affinity in the process of spreading.Chapter four elaborates the influence of Gaotang goddess image upon the literature theme.This article takes the dream theme and the man-goddess love theme for example in the literature,and makes analysis one by one.