Intertextuality in the Chinese Play XI XIANG JI of the Yuan Dynasty

Abstract

This research paper aims to study the intertextuality in the Chinese play “The Romance of West Chamber” of Yuan Dynasty by comparing with the novel “The Biography of Yingying” of Tang Dynasty, and also analyze the social concepts reflected in the play “The Romance of West Chamber”. The results of this research show that 1) the contents and the characters in the play “The Romance of West Chamber ” are divided into 3 categories, i.e. the newly written in addition to, the deleted one, and the one adapted from the original version, and 2) the social concepts reflected in the play “The Romance of West Chamber ” in the period of Yuan Dynasty under the reign of Mongol, e.g. gender status in Confucius cultures, virtues and ethics in Chinese society are still imparted, but with less significance and stringency, from the original version of “The Biography of Yingying ”, which was composed in Tang Dynasty period of Han people.