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Frontiers of Literary Studies in China

ISSN 1673-7318

ISSN 1673-7423(Online)

CN 11-5745/I

Postal Subscription Code 80-982

Front. Lit. Stud. China    2024, Vol. 18 Issue (1) : 77-102    https://doi.org/10.3868/s010-013-024-0004-7
Bianjing Spectacle: Soundscapes of Bianjing and Identities in Song Dynasty Literature
LI Gui
School of Humanities, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China
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Abstract

By closely examining the literary works of the Song Dynasty, such as prose, poetry, rhyme-prose, lyrics, notes, and miscellaneous theses, this paper combines historical and literary evidence to rediscover the 13 types of soundscapes and their corresponding spaces in the Bianjing City, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, and it reveals the causes and historical-cultural significance of these soundscapes. Focusing on the key issues of soundscapes, this paper analyzes the sound spaces, identities, discourses, and literary achievements depicted in the writings about Bianjing. It argues that the “Bianjing Spectacle” of vendors’ cries described by the Southern Song people can be used as a summary of the soundscape characteristics of Bianjing. Furthermore, it interprets the special silence, crying, and the absence of the sounds of production from an aesthetic perspective. By rediscovering, analyzing, and interpreting the soundscapes of Bianjing, this paper reveals significant differences between the Tang and Song dynasties at the sound level and differentiates various “auditory communities.” It thereby demonstrates the portrayal of Bianjing in Song literature, addresses theoretical hot topics in literature and geography, and builds on Marx’s arguments to propose that a thorough understanding of history, the world, and ourselves requires an in depth study of the soundscapes in literature.

Keywords Song literature, Bianjing in the Northern Song Dynasty, soundscapes, identities, transformation during the Tang and Song dynasties     
Issue Date: 16 July 2024
 Cite this article:   
LI Gui. Bianjing Spectacle: Soundscapes of Bianjing and Identities in Song Dynasty Literature[J]. Front. Lit. Stud. China, 2024, 18(1): 77-102.
 URL:  
https://academic.hep.com.cn/flsc/EN/10.3868/s010-013-024-0004-7
https://academic.hep.com.cn/flsc/EN/Y2024/V18/I1/77
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