南北方少数民族“异类”婚恋故事母题比较研究——以牛郎织女故事为例

A Comparative Study on Marriage and Love Stories between “Humans and Non-Humans” Found among Ethnic Minorities in Southern and Northern China——Taking the Story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl as an Example

在民间故事口耳相传的传播方式下,牛郎织女故事在我国各少数民族中广泛流传,互相影响,呈现出同中有异的特点。南北方少数民族多改编了牛郎织女故事的悲剧结局,以牛郎织女或在天上或在人间一起幸福生活为结局,并增加了考验女婿的情节。同时,南北方少数民族演变至今的牛郎织女故事也呈现出一些不同点,如受儒家传统文化影响程度不同,故事中所体现出的生产方式不同,仙女下凡的原因不同,主要人物"牛"与"鹿"的不同。其中的共同性反映出同一母题在不同民族间孳乳、传播的互动影响及文化相融的稳定性,也体现出不同民族反映世界、表达情感的共通模式;而其不同则折射出不同民族宗教信仰、人情风俗、民俗心理以及生产生活方式等方面的独特性。

A large portion of Chinese folk talesare stories about marriage and love between humans and nonhumans. The category of marriageand love stories between “Humans and Nonhumans”refers to those in which humans and nonhumans （ including gods,immortals,ghosts,animals,plants,etc. ）fall in love,get married andhave children;afterwards,they might live in heaven or on earth. The story of the Cowherd and theWeaver Girl is one of the oldest and most widespread stories in this category. The main story tellshow the Cowherd and Weaver Girl fell in love witheach other,got married and had children,but,they were separated afterwards by the heavenlycourts,and eventually remain separated,or,arereunited with each other. （Most versions of theCowherd and the Weaver Girl found among the ethnic minorities of China have happy endings,replacing the tragic ending found among the Han） . Among those folk tales which are transmitted orally,various versions of the Cowherd and the WeaverGirl are widely circulated among ethnic minoritiesin China,and they influence one another. However,those versions of the Cowboy and the Weaver Girl that spread among the ethnic minorities in the north exhibit distinctive characteristics from thoseversions found among the ethnic minorities in thesouth. Among the ethnic minorities of northernChina,relevant versions include the The Cowherdand the Fairy in Qapqal Xibo Autonomous Countyin Xinjiang,the The Weaver Girl and Cowherd GotMarried of the Mongols in Inner Mongolia,The Orphan and the Black Deer of the Daur people inEvenk Autonomous Banner,The Shepherd and theFairy,and The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl of theKoreans in northeastern China,The Three Fairiesof the Manchu,and the Story of the Cowherd by theEvenks among the Evenks in the Yarlung Valley.Among the ethnic minorities of southern China,relevant stories include The Story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl of the Miao in the Qingshuijiang area of Guizhou Province ,The Nine Immortals and the Bronze Drum circulated in thePingjiang District in Rongjiang County,The Soundof the Dong Flute and The Cowherd and the Youngest Weaver Girl widespread among the Dong peoplein Liping County,The Legend of Stonemason andLang Zhui and Lang Chui in the Maonan ethnicgroup;The Colorful Band in the Yao ethnic groupin Guangxi,Brave Adao in the Zhuang ethnic group in Longzhou County,and Why do the YaoPeople Like to Plant Corn and Glutinous Rice among the Yao ethnic group in the Dayaoshan area.The ethnic minorities from both northern and southern China have more or less changed the tragicending of the original story into a happy one inwhich the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl live happily ever after in heaven or on earth. This is thecommon feature of the various versions of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl story that circulated among the ethnic minorities in both northern andsouthern China. At the same time,the versions ofthe Cowherd and the Weaver Girl that have continued to evolve until today in northern and southernChina also exhibit some differences.For example,the versions of the Cowherd andthe Weaver Girl found among the northern ethnicminorities have been greatly influenced by traditional Confucian culture,whereas their southerncounterparts have been less affected. Differences ofmodes of production are also reflected in the stories. The northern ethnic minorities mainly depended on hunting,and took agriculture as a supplementary activity,whereas the southern ethnic minorities mostly cultivated barren fields in themountains,and planted crops such as rice,cornand cereals. The reasons why the Weaver Girl descended to earth were also diversified. Accordingto versions from the northern ethnic minorities,theWeaver Girl descended to earth to wash clothes,whereas in the versions found among the southernminorities,she descended to swim or bath. In most of the northern versions,the main character is adeer,while in most of the southern stories the maincharacter is a cow. The commonality found amongthe versions reflects the interactive influence ofcommon themes of production and communicationamong different ethnic groups,as well as culturalintegration. It also reflects common ways differentethnic groups reflect upon the world and express their emotions. The differences,however,reflectthe unique features of the various ethnic minoritieswith regard to religious beliefs,customs,and folklore,as well as modes of production and lifestyles.