KJC Korea
Journal Central

This paper takes oracle bone inscriptions on ritual for rain as the object of research，analyzes and summarizes the thoughts and cultures of Shang Dynasty peoples. Through the above discussion，we can see that the ceremonies held by Shang Dynasty peoples to ritual for rain are very rich and diverse. The way Shang Dynasty peoples ask for rain is by Zou(奏) and Wu(舞)，Liao(燎)，Dao(禱)，burning witches and servants，and making dragon dolls for rain. These rites of asking for rain include God of Nature and God of Ancestors. Natural gods are Shan(山)，He(河)，Chuan(川)，Yun(雲)，Xue(雪)，Tu(土) and Sifangshen(四方神). The ancestors’ gods included Nao(夒)，Shangjia(上甲)，Dayi(大乙)，Yiyin(伊尹)，Yiqiu(伊逑)，Zhuren(主壬) and Gaobi(高妣). In addition to these，the oracle bone experts believe that the ，茍 and of the ancestral spirits also appeared. Most of the victims of the Shang Dynasty’s rain-grubbing ritual were natural gods. This should be closely related to the nature of rain. When asking for rain with music and dance，there is no sacrifice of animals，but when sacrifices are held such as Liao(燎)，Dao(禱) or You(侑) cows and sheep are often used for sacrificial purposes，and ordinary sheep，black sheep，or pigs are used. In “”，women are often sacrificed，as recorded in the literature，to burn witches or maids for rain. In oracle bone divination，we can see that the Shang Dynasty had already established religious practices based on the theory of Tianrenganying(天人感應) advocated by the Han(漢) Confucianist Tung Chung-shu(董仲舒).

Presently, the academic research on Bian Er Chai is mostly focused on its cultural values and is rarely seen covering its narrative features. Because of the explicit erotic descriptions and the sexual minorities told, it is difficult for the general readers to feel empathy for the characters. As a result, the artistic appeal of the novels is often overlooked. After reading the text carefully, we will find that Bian Er Chai falls into the handful of best of its kind in terms of conception and artistic level. It has merits also in character creation, plot development, etc. In narration, it inherits the tradition of romance novel, but also makes breakthroughs. Its narrative mode greatly influences the later talented scholars and beautiful ladies novels.

There is no limit to the number of characters in the novel, but only a limited number of people can appear on the play stage. Also, novels can contain vast amounts of content, but they must deliver certain content within a set time. The ultimate purpose of this study is to examine how characters in Hongloumeng are reconstructed and reinterpreted in the performance contents. This paper studied Cantonese Opera The Romantic monk to see how Baoyu’s character is reinterpreted in modern performance content. The features of these aspects can be summarized as follows : First, in terms of contents, a few of narratives related to the love of Baoyu was adopted from the original work. Second, in setting up the character, Baoyu was reinterpreted as the main character of pure love. He was transformed into a man of pure love who loves only one and practices his oath only for one person, eliminating the indecisive character shown in the original book. Third, regarding psychological description, Baoyu’s psychology, which was not reflected in the original work, was faithfully supplemented.