A Comparative Study of the Artistic Features of the Naxi "Ancient Songs of Sacrifice to Heaven" and the "Nine Songs" of Chu Ci
This article compares the Naxi people's "Ancient Songs of Sacrifice to Heaven" (Jitian Guge) with the "Nine Songs" from the Chinese classic "Chuci" (Songs of Chu). The Naxi, a minority group of fewer than 300,000 living along the Jinsha and Lancang river valleys, preserve an ancient sky-worship culture recorded in Dongba pictographic scriptures and oral tradition. Both works are religious poetry performed at sacrificial altars, rooted in real social life, blending realism with romantic, fantastical elements of high literary and aesthetic value. Structurally, both function like grand dramas, organized into chapters with independent yet interconnected episodes, integrating song, dance, and music to entertain deities. The author illustrates this through examples—such as the Naxi "Hashi" (offering-sacrifice) chapter and "Nine Songs" pieces like "Dongjun" and "Hebo"—showing shared origins in folk shamanistic ritual performance despite literary refinement by figures like Qu Yuan.
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