Проблемы литератур Дальнего Востока. Часть 1

Новые вопросы изучения классической китайской литературы... Issues of Far Eastern Literatures. Vol. 1. 2018 89 specifics of transportation in this area. While the traditional waterways transportation was greatly developed, there has been no railroad leading to Changshu. Many old customs survived there, which were described by Wu Shuangre at the beginning of the 20 th century. Furthermore, some of them exist even now, thus making his book a valuable material for comparison in modern ethnographic studies. Because of the rich cultural traditions, there was quite long history of local historical writings in Changshu. The earliest gazetteer ( difangzhi ) of this area dates back to the Song dynasty. Originally written in 1167, it survived only in the late editions with the Yuan and Ming-dynasty additions and commentaries.  1 Changshu gazetteers of the late imperial period (15 th — early 20 th centuries) usually contain substantial information on the folk customs in the special sections, however, it is not that rich and detailed, as in the RHC. The essay by Wu Shuangre appears to be the first systematic ethnographic description of Changshu undertaken by its native in the period before the destruction of traditional forms of life (Republican reforms as well as the agrarian reform of the 1950s). The main purpose of Wu Shuangre’s writing was to criticize old beliefs (superstitions) and improve the mores of his native place. This aim of the book is pointed out in the preface, written by Zhou Zhezhun ઘஶ߶ (1916), who was a native of Changzhou ᑨᐎ , situated not far from Changshu: “It evaluates the customs and shows everything hidden, discloses all vices” ަᡰԕ䁪ᯧ㘂؇ˈሷ ❑㰺❑ᇓ❑ᔺᕇ᨝ (HFJ, 2). Zhou Zhezhun believed that the high literary quality of his text would assist its moralizing and educational purpose. At that time many intellectuals of the new generation believed that superstitions (referring mostly to religious beliefs and practices) will disappear after the spread of new scientific knowledge  2 . Wu Shuangre was quite pessimistic in this regard. At the end of his book, he expresses his doubt that folk practices of exorcism and magic can ever be completely eradicated (HFJ, pp. 92–93). The essay by Wu Shuangre consists of four chapters ( juan ) that deal with the different aspects of everyday life of Changshu people. The first of them is devoted to annual celebrations, the second — to the customs related to illness and death (exorcistic and funeral rituals), the third — to the marriage and childbirth rituals (including rites of children protection), the fourth consists of miscellaneous records ( zaji ᵲ䇠 ), which reminds one of the miscellanea writings ( biji ㅄ䇠 ) of Chinese intellectuals of the Song to Qing dynasties. The main part of the work is followed by the collection of “bamboo-branch poems” ( zhuzhici ㄩ᷍䇽 ), written by Wu Shuangre himself. Composition of this type of verses, which imitated folk songs, 1 See Sun Yingshi ᆛ㤡ᱲ , Baolian 凁ᓹ , ed., [Jiangsu sheng] Qinchuan zhi ⊏㰷ⴱ⩤ ᐍᘇ , rpt. in Zhongguo fangzhi congshu: Huazhong difang ѝ഻ᯩᘇ਒ᴨ˖㨟ѝൠᯩ , vol. 420 (Taibei: Chengwen chubanshe, 1983). 2 See Rebecca Nedostup, Superstitious Regimes: Religion and the Politics of Chinese Modernity (Cambridge: Harvard University Asia Center, 2009).