Peacock Princess Explained

Folk Tale Name:Peacock Princess
Mythology:Dai people
Published In:1960

The Peacock Princess, also Kongque Gongzhu, is a folktale of the Dai people in China,[1] with shared origins with other similar tales found throughout Southeast Asia.[2] The tale is also considered to be a version of the international "swan maiden" narrative.[3]

History

See also: Kinnara. The tale originated within the people of the Dai ethnic group who worshiped peacocks,[4] [5] and is reported to have circulated among them for centuries.[6] The Dai people worship peacocks as being messengers of peace, kindness, love and beauty.[7]

Names

The tale is celebrated amongst the Dai people of China and was recorded as a poem and folk story known under several names, such as Shaoshutun, The Peacock Princess, Zhao Shutun and Lanwuluona,[8] [9] [10] Zhao Shu Tun and Nan Nuo Na,[11] or Zhao Shudeng and Nanmu Nuonuo.[12]

Plot

See also: Manimekhala, Nyai Roro Kidul and Preah Thong and Neang Neak. The tale follows the story of a young prince named Zhao Shutun (and variations; see above), who is looking for a bride. One day, he is guided to a lake where seven peacock maidens are bathing (or dancing), and he falls in love with the seventh and youngest of them, the Peacock Princess. The prince steals her peacock feathers while she is distracted and waits for the other birds to fly away before he appears to her. The prince returns her feathers and she agrees to become his bride.

They fly back to his kingdom and marry. On their wedding night, the evil wizard puts a spell on the king and starts a war. The young prince leaves for battle and while he is gone his princess is sentenced to death by the king. Before she is executed, she takes on peacock form and escapes. When the prince returns from battle, he kills the evil wizard and releases the king from the spell, but begins a long quest to the Peacock Kingdom to regain his wife. Fortunately, he finds his wife again, and everyone lives happily ever after.[13] [14] [15] [16]

Culture

This legend was made into a Chinese film in 1963[17] and 1982 with the same title.[18] [19]

See also

References

Books

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Yuan, Haiwang. Princess Peacock: tales from the other peoples of China. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2008. p. 158.
  2. Qing Xiaoyu. "Dai Opera Troupe Creates 'The Peacock Princess'". In: China Reconstructs. July 1982. p. 52.
  3. Bäcker, Jörg. "Schwanjungfrau". In: Enzyklopädie des Märchens Band 12: Schinden, Schinder – Sublimierung. Edited by Rudolf Wilhelm Brednich; Hermann Bausinger; Wolfgang Brückner; Daniel Drascek; Helge Gerndt; Ines Köhler-Zülch; Lutz Röhrich; Klaus Roth. De Gruyter, 2016 [2007]. p. 313. .
  4. Book: Yuan . Haiwang . Princess Peacock: tales from the other peoples of China . 2008 . Libraries Unlimited . Westport, Conn. . 978-1-59158-416-2 .
  5. Book: Wilcox . Emily . . 23 October 2018 . Univ of California Press. 978-0-520-30057-6 . 168 . en.
  6. 10.1080/14766825.2012.658809. The folkloric, the spectacular, and the institutionalized: Touristifying ethnic minority dances on China's southwest frontiers. 2012. Li. Jing. 144959661. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change. 10. 79–80 (footnote nr. 7).
  7. Book: Chinese Clothing . 3 March 2011 . Cambridge University Press . 978-0-521-18689-6 . en.
  8. Wilcox, Emily. Revolutionary Bodies: Chinese Dance and the Socialist Legacy. University of California Press. 2019. p. 277. .
  9. Hua Mei. Chinese Clothing. Cambridge University Press. 2011. p. 99. .
  10. 10.1080/14766825.2012.658809. The folkloric, the spectacular, and the institutionalized: Touristifying ethnic minority dances on China's southwest frontiers. 2012. Li. Jing. 144959661. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change. 10. 69.
  11. Zhao, Wuxing. The Chinese ethnic minority literature. Beijing: China Intercontinental Press, 2008. p. 66.
  12. Mackerras, Colin. Chinese drama: a historical survey. Beijing, China: New World Press, 1990. Distributed by China International Book Trading Corporation. p. 194.
  13. Folk Tales from China. Third series. Peking: Foreign Language Press. 1958. pp. 16–46.
  14. Yuan, Haiwang. Princess Peacock: tales from the other peoples of China. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2008. pp. 158-160, 263.
  15. 10.1080/14766825.2012.658809. The folkloric, the spectacular, and the institutionalized: Touristifying ethnic minority dances on China's southwest frontiers. 2012. Li. Jing. 144959661. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change. 10. 69–70, 74–75.
  16. Dolch, Edward W. Stories from Old China. Champaign, Ill., Garrard Pub. Co, 1964. pp. 138-145, 146-153, 154-165.
  17. Macdonald, Sean (2017). "Jin Xi: Master of puppet animation". In: Journal of Chinese Cinemas, 11:2, 160, 165. DOI: 10.1080/17508061.2017.1322785
  18. 10.1080/14766825.2012.658809. The folkloric, the spectacular, and the institutionalized: Touristifying ethnic minority dances on China's southwest frontiers. 2012. Li. Jing. 144959661. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change. 10. 79–80 (footnote nr. 7).
  19. Yuanyuan Chen (2017). "Old or new art? Rethinking classical Chinese animation". In: Journal of Chinese Cinemas, 11:2, 178. DOI: 10.1080/17508061.2017.1322786

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