Abstract:

As the prevailing type of poetry in the Yuan Dynasty, “sanqu” was not only the product of historical evolution from “shi” and “ci”, but also an aesthetic crystallization formed in the intellectual circle consisting of multi-ethnic groups at that time. It embodies an artistic fusion of multi-languages, multi-cultures and varied interests, all expressed in the Chinese language. It reflects the features of the new concept of “tianxia” (Under Heaven) that encompasses multiple peoples, including Mongolian, individuals with different colored eyes, Han people and ethnic groups in the south. The characteristics of sanqu are as follows: firstly, it is a free and flexible form of aesthetics which integrates multiple elements with a newfound “vulgar” taste and contemporary features; secondly, it embodies the straightforward joy of interaction and integration of multiple ethnic groups under the new concept of “tianxia”; thirdly, it expresses the Chinese aesthetic spirit as the core of the times, reflected in the pursuit of unity among diverse ethnicities and the celebration of diversity.

Key words: sanqu as a new poetry type, aesthetic form of the unity of multi-ethnic groups in the Yuan Dynasty, artistic characteristics of the view of tianxia in the Yuan Dynasty