Shi Yukun
BornLikely late 18th century, possibly c. 1797
Tianjin (disputed[1])
DiedLikely before 1879, possibly c. 1871
Beijing?
NationalityQing Empire
Notable workThe Seven Heroes and Five Gallants
Stylezidishu
Chinese name
Chinese石玉昆 (or 石玉崑)
Shi Zhenzhi
Chinese石振之
Wenzhu Zhuren
(possible pen name? disputed)
Traditional Chinese問竹主人
Simplified Chinese问竹主人
Literal meaning"Bamboo-Inquiring Master"

Shi Yukun (fl. 19th century), courtesy name Zhenzhi, was a highly popular Qing dynasty storyteller who performed in Beijing during the first half of the 19th century. Little is known about his life, but anecdotes recorded in the 1940s claimed he worked as a Booi Aha at prince Zhaolian's mansion before he became a performer.[2]

He is the credited author of the 1879 wuxia novel The Tale of Loyal Heroes and Righteous Gallants—better known today as The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants or The Three Heroes and Five Gallants—as well as some of its sequels. While the first novel was undoubtedly based on his oral performances, most modern scholars believe Shi died several years before 1879 and played no role in the novel's publication.[3] Nevertheless, his name was prominently displayed on its cover, the first time a Chinese storyteller was credited as a novel's sole author.[4]

Biography

While eponymous poems and zidishu solely to celebrate (or perhaps mock) Shi Yukun's fame and storytelling skills have survived, little is actually known about his life, besides that he performed his art in the national capital Beijing during the 19th century, probably as early as 1817.[1] While some scholars had believed he was originally from Tianjin, it was probably a mistake made by confusing Shi Yukun and Shi Duo (石鐸), the publisher of the 1891 novel The Five Younger Gallants (小五義) which also claimed Shi Yukun as its original source.[5] The suggestion that Shi Yukun was ethnic Manchu, based on his surname (common in Manchus) and the Manchu genre of zidishu in his performances,[6] also lacks convincing evidence.[7] He was called "Third Master" (三爺) by at least another storyteller.[8]

Style

His performances, accompanied by sanxian (3-stringed lute) playing, attracted audience in the thousands.[9] He did not employ a wooden clapper like modern pingshu performers, rather, he used his musical instrument to call the audience's attention.[10] He was best known for his poetic lyrics and tunes during his songs.[11]

In addition to the story that eventually became The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants, at least 2 other stories have been associated with him:

Rare for a public storyteller, he was literate[12] and is believed by some to be the same person as the one behind the pen name Wenzhu Zhuren ("Bamboo-Inquiring Master"), who first edited the original transcript of his storytelling for publication, which eventually became The Three Heroes and Five Gallants.

The novel's sequels The Five Younger Gallants and A Sequel to the Five Younger Gallants (續小五義) claimed him as the author, but as Lu Xun pointed out, "these works were written by many hands... resulting in numerous inconsistencies."[13]

In popular culture

Shi Yukun is a character in two fictitious television costume comedy-dramas, both co-written by the Taiwanese author Kuo Cheng:

References

  1. ^ a b Keulemans, pp. 65–66.
  2. ^ "石玉昆" [Shi Yukun]. National Digital Culture Network (China) (in Chinese). 2003-08-29.
  3. ^ Keulemans, p. 28.
  4. ^ Keulemans, p. 82.
  5. ^ Keulemans, pp. 83 & 88.
  6. ^ Blader, p. xxiv.
  7. ^ Blader, pp. xv–xvi.
  8. ^ Blader, p. xxi.
  9. ^ Deng & Wang, p. 13.
  10. ^ Keulemans, p. 165.
  11. ^ Keulemans, p. 166.
  12. ^ Blader, p. xvii.
  13. ^ Lu Hsun; Yang Hsien-yi (trans.); Gladys Yang (trans.) (1964). A Brief History of Chinese Fiction (2nd ed.). Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. ISBN 1135430608.

External links

Shi Yukun's The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants and The Five Younger Gallants
Authority control databases
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