Exploration of the Aesthetic Views Reflected by the Transformed Beautiful Image of Li Yi in "the Legend of Purple Hairpin"

Abstract

‘The Legend of the Purple Hairpin (Zi chai ji)’ originated from the famous story ‘Biography of Huo Xiaoyu’, written in the Tang Dynasty. It was adopted to become dramas ‘The Legend Purple Flute’(Zi xiao ji) and ‘The Legend of Purple Hairpin' by Tang Xianzu (1550—1616) of the Ming Dynasty and again ‘The Legend Purple Hairpin’ by Tang Disheng (1917—1919) respectively. The story of Li Yi and Huo Xiaoyu has become a classic and enjoyed wide circulation since the Tang Dynasty. The protagonist Li Yi is the key character of the story who has captured the fascination of readers for a thousand years. This paper explores the aesthetic viewpoints behind the transformation of Li Yi's images from the Tang Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, during which Li Yi has shed his ugliness in story and reality to become a beauty in plays. From the playwrights’ descriptions of beautiful characters, one gains an insight into what constituted the attractiveness of men, in terms of their appearance and inner qualities, in the Ming Dynasty. According to the Book of Tang (Tang shu), Li Yi (746—829) was a scholar with an unattractive appearance. Furthermore, his character was full of suspicion, which was regarded as ‘Li Yi illness’ by the historians. In the Tang story, he failed to keep his promise to his lover, Huo Xiaoyu. However, the Ming playwrights transformed him to a very handsome scholar with a noble character and devotion, which seemed to meet public aesthetic expectations in the Ming Dynasty.