A Probe into the Snow Imagery in Yuan Drama

Within the extensive and profound tradition of Chinese literature, rich connotations of culture and emotions have been accumulated in snow imagery. The snow imagery, however, in Yuan drama ( yuan zaju) has long been overlooked. Considering the overall situation and specific texts of snow imagery in Yuan drama, they can be categorized into four main types: auspicious snow for nourishing, chilling snow for exterminating, snow for contrasting with disappointment, and snow for revealing grievances and exposing injustice. The imagery in Yuan drama exhibits characteristics of popularity, secularization, and reality. On one hand, they possess a mature system of transforming elegance into the mundane world. On the other hand, unlike the previous snow imagery in Chinese literary works that focused on the emotional experiences of intellectuals, they present a realistic perspective of caring for the lower class. The analysis of the imagery is of significance in reconstructing the spiritual image of the relationship between the Chinese people in Yuan Dynasty and snow.