''Gengzi Guobian Tanci'' (; "''
Tanci
Tanci is a narrative form of song in China that alternates between verse and prose.Wang, Lingzhen, p53 The literal name "plucking rhymes" refers to the singing of verse portions to a ''pipa''.Hu, Siao-chen, p539 A ''tanci'' is usually seven words ...
'', on the
Boxer Rebellion of 1900" or "The ''tanci'' of the national calamity of 1900" or "The National Disturbances of the Year ''Gengzi''")
[PL, p]
547
is a ''
tanci
Tanci is a narrative form of song in China that alternates between verse and prose.Wang, Lingzhen, p53 The literal name "plucking rhymes" refers to the singing of verse portions to a ''pipa''.Hu, Siao-chen, p539 A ''tanci'' is usually seven words ...
'' written by
Li Baojia (Li Boyuan), composed in 1902.
Idema
Advanced Format (AF) is any disk sector format used to store data in HDDs, SSDs and SSHDs that exceeds 528 bytes per sector, frequently 4096, 4112, 4160, or 4224-byte sectors. Larger sectors of an Advanced Format Drive (AFD) enable the integratio ...
, p
387
Written immediately after the Boxer Rebellion, it was Li Baojia's first major literary work,
serialized in the ''
Shanghai Shijie Fanhua Bao''. He wrote this ''tanci'' in order to remind the public of the event as a historical lesson, to show an accurate picture of the event, and so the memories of the event would remain fresh.
[PL, p]
548
Li Baojia said that he chose the ''tanci'' form because it would be easy for the common people including women and children to understand the song and make them remember the incident it was named after.
[Wang, Lingzhen, p]
54
It is an example of a ''tanci'' for a political and social purpose.
[
The work portrays the Boxers as being foolish and fraudulent, and it portrays the officials who supported the Boxers as being crooked. That viewpoint is considered ]politically incorrect
"Political correctness" (adjectivally "politically correct"; commonly abbreviated to P.C.) is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. ...
in China as of 2010. Wilt L. Idema wrote in the article "Prosimetric and verse narrative" within '' The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature: From 1375'', that because of the portrayal of the Boxers and their supporters, ''Gengzi Guobian Tanci'' "is neglected by modern scholars".[
]
See also
* '' Boxers and Saints''
References
* Idema, Wilt L. "Prosimetric and verse narrative." p. 343-214. In: Chang, Kang-i Sun and Stephen Owen (editors). '' The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature: From 1375''. Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...
, 2010. , 9780521855594.
* PL, "Li Pao-chia." In: Nienhauser, William H. (editor). ''The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature, Part 1''. Indiana University Press
Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes ...
, 1986. , 9780253329837.
* Wang, Lingzhen. ''Personal Matters: Women's Autobiographical Practice in Twentieth-century China''. Stanford University Press
Stanford University Press (SUP) is the publishing house of Stanford University. It is one of the oldest academic presses in the United States and the first university press to be established on the West Coast. It is currently a member of the Ass ...
, 2004. , 9780804750059.
Notes
Chinese songs
Boxer Rebellion
1902 songs
Works by Li Baojia
{{1900s-song-stub