An Exploration of the Views on Life and Death in Naxi Love-Suicide Literature and the Custom of Love-Suicide
This article examines the Naxi ethnic group's distinctive "love-suicide" (xunqing) literary works and the historical custom of joint suicide by young lovers, most notably the epic Muslim... rather, the epic "Longing for Love" (Lubanlurao) alongside related works like "Youbei" and "Escape to a Good Place." From the Naxi slave society through the feudal era until the 1950s, young Naxi couples facing parental opposition to their love would sing dirges of love-suicide and die together—by hanging, drowning, poison, or leaping from cliffs—seeking union in an idealized afterlife. While Lijiang has been dubbed by some Western scholars the "world's capital of love-suicide" and the Naxi called a "tragic nation," the author argues this label misrepresents the culture. Analyzing the underlying Naxi worldview on life and death—particularly through "Lubanlurao"—the author contends that death is not viewed as life's greatest tragedy; rather, unbearable separation and thwarted love constitute deeper suffering. Love-suicide thus reflects a nation devoted to love and courageous pursuit of happiness, rooted in Dongba culture, religious beliefs, and ethnic psychology, not mere tragedy.
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