The Ballad of the
Hidden Dragon was a Chinese legend that told the tale of Liu
Zhiyuan.
Although some of the text is missing it is known that in the story,
Liu Zhiyuan had many tests and challenges that he had to complete all
over the world before he was able to return to China. When he finally
did so in AD 947, he became the emperor. He was also reunited with
his long-lost love.
The
Ballad of the Hidden Dragon was written and performed in a style
called zhukong,
which translates to “various modes.” In this style, sections
alternated between simple prose and rhyming verse. This ballad was believed to
have first been performed in the 11th
century, being passed on by word of mouth until it was finally
written down in the 12th
century.
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| Artwork from the ballad's era (Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
Wow! A fascinating tidbit of Chinese myth...
ReplyDeletePassing stories down from one generation to the next, the oral tradition, via word-of-mouth, is the oldest form and incorporated into all cultures... wonder how much of the original story was changed when written records of tales came into existence... and that goes for all ancient stories...
I wondered that when I was writing this post - who knows if the story that is recorded is anything like the original that was first told? It's kind of frustrating that we can never know...
DeleteAncients were so much more creative. What do we have? Reality TV!
ReplyDeleteHaha, good point!
DeleteWhat an excellent title that is :-)
ReplyDeleteI know - I could definitely learn a thing or two from the ancient Chinese when it comes to story titles!
Delete