A Study Of The Regional Culture Connotation And Literary Value In Chu Yu

Guo Yu, the compilation of the historical materials of the Zhou Dynasty and the states of Lu, Qi, Jin, Zheng, Chu, Wu and Yue, mainly records words about managing state affairs of the nobility and senior state officials from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period. It totally has21volumes which remain the prose style of different periods and regions from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period. Differences in geographical environment and political background among states have created different styles of their historical materials. Chu Yu, the history of the Chu State and the connecting link in Guo Yu by inheriting the ideas of "valuing people, rituals and virtues" in the rites and music culture of the Zhou Dynasty and the Lu State and carrying forward the ideas of "cherishing wisdom and emphasizing merits and military affairs" of the States of Wu and Yue, has gradually formed its unique regional culture connotation and literary value under the influence of geography, political background and folk customs.After a long inhabitation in the harsh JingJu Area with the Nanman people, the Chu people formulate their law of the land with the principle of "appeasing the Nanman ethnic minority and becoming one member of the Central Plain States" for the survival and development of the nation. They desire to be accepted by the Zhou Dynasty and the other states of the Central Plain so they study assiduously the rites and music culture of the Zhou Dynasty, and finally form regional culture characteristics that are all-inclusive and merged with the south-north culture by combining the unique sorcery culture of the Chu State and innovation. After moving to the Jianghan Plain, the Chu people are inspired greatly by the rich and natural landscape and images and the ever-changing climate. The Chu Culture,"emphasizing bravery and combativeness and cherishing romance and sentimentality", has also been developed in an all round way. They admire thunder, worship sun, respect phoenix and love red and are full of pioneering spirit, which create their sense of bravery and combativeness. While the mysterious and unique sorcery culture endows them with the romance and sentimentality.Therefore, the regional culture connotation of Chu Yu covers a strong sense of national and regional identity, the sorcery culture, inheritance of the rites and music culture of the Zhou Dynasty and the principles of managing the state affairs with the idea of "respecting the knowledgeable and valuing merits and laws" and the culture of "emphasizing bravery and combativeness and cherishing romance and sentimentality". Hence, this regional culture connotation has showed great characteristics in literature. Rich facial expression and vivid mental activities can be found in the works. Changeable sentence structure and harmonious melody are reflected in language style. Abundant rhetorical devices like parallelism and analogy are used to express people’s feelings, and evidence and examples are used to persuade in the works.