Publication at Faculty of Arts |
2020
Abstract
This paper analyzes Jue Qing's (1917-1962) first piece of historical fiction, the 1942 short story "Chang'an cheng de youyu" (Melancholy in Chang'an). It explores the sources of the story in pre-modern Chinese literature - "Broken Mirror" (Benshi shi), "Lu Yong" (Taiping guangji), Jiao hong ji and "Du Shiniang Angrily Sinks Her Jewel-Box" (Jing shi tong yan) and compares them with Jue Qing's updated version.
This study suggests that "Melancholy in Chang'an" can be read as an allegory of grief over the failure of the Manchukuo project. After 1941 Jue Qing seems to have realized that there was no hope to revive the Qing dynasty anymore.