• (The) Research of the performance art and culture
• /
• no.35
• /
• pp.509-541
• /
• 2017

The basic intent of this thesis lies in proposing a meaningful direction of developing cultural content by combining Asian traditional dance forms which hold cultural closeness in common historically. For this study, this paper selected Oyangseon(五羊仙; 'Five Taoist Hermits on Five Sheep'), a Korean court dance of Chinese origin as an example as the Oyangseon story is commonly found in ancient Vietnam and China as well as Korea. Its original narrative is a mythic story that five hermits had come down to ancient Vietnam region riding on five sheep of five colors to bestow 6 ears of milets to people. Later, the story was spread to other regions to be reformed into Woljeongjeon(越井傳; Vietnam), Choi Wee(崔?; China) and Oyangseon(Korea) that have different plot and background. While Woljeongjeon and Choi Wee were adapted into novels that describe the hero Choi Wee's mysterious adventure to be repaid his father's previous devotion to ancient King's shrine. Meanwhile, the epic narrative of Korean Oyangseon proves the modification of the original myth by adding a Seowangmo(西王母; a Chinese mythic heavenly queen) motif while it was enacted as a court dance to praise king's long life and pray country's prosperity following Confucian concept. Based on this historical lineage of Oyangseon story, I searched for the possiblity of constructing a cultural content program by combining the Oyangseon dance of three countries. While there was Oyangseonmu(五羊仙舞) in China which was recently composed by referring to Korean Oyangseon, any traditional dance item based on Oyangseon story was not available in Vietnam. Thus, I tried to propose the Vietnam Dance College to choreograph a new dance item with Woljeongjeon story while using the traditional dance technique, music, costume, etc. of Vietnam as most as possible. As a result, I could display a direction of developing a cultural content by staging three countries' dance items based on Oyangseon story at Korean National Haneul Theater in Oct 2016.

• (The) Research of the performance art and culture
• /
• no.35
• /
• pp.471-508
• /
• 2017

The basic intent of this thesis lies in proposing a meaningful direction of developing cultural content by combining Asian traditional dance forms which hold cultural closeness in common historically. For this study, this paper selected Oyangseon(五羊仙; 'Five Taoist Hermits on Five Sheep'), a Korean court dance of Chinese origin as an example as the Oyangseon story is commonly found in ancient Vietnam and China as well as Korea. Its original narrative is a mythic story that five hermits had come down to ancient Vietnam region riding on five sheep of five colors to bestow 6 ears of milets to people. Later, the story was spread to other regions to be reformed into Woljeongjeon(越井傳; Vietnam), Choi Wee(崔?; China) and Oyangseon(Korea) that have different plot and background. While Woljeongjeon and Choi Wee were adapted into novels that describe the hero Choi Wee's mysterious adventure to be repaid his father's previous devotion to ancient King's shrine. Meanwhile, the epic narrative of Korean Oyangseon proves the modification of the original myth by adding a Seowangmo(西王母; a Chinese mythic heavenly queen) motif while it was enacted as a court dance to praise king's long life and pray country's prosperity following Confucian concept. Based on this historical lineage of Oyangseon story, I searched for the possiblity of constructing a cultural content program by combining the Oyangseon dance of three countries. While there was Oyangseonmu(五羊仙舞) in China which was recently composed by referring to Korean Oyangseon, any traditional dance item based on Oyangseon story was not available in Vietnam. Thus, I tried to propose the Vietnam Dance College to choreograph a new dance item with Woljeongjeon story while using the traditional dance technique, music, costume, etc. of Vietnam as most as possible. As a result, I could display a direction of developing a cultural content by staging three countries' dance items based on Oyangseon story at Korean National Haneul Theater in Oct 2016.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
• /
• v.42
• /
• pp.45-73
• /
• 2022

The phenomenon of veneration for Queen Mother of the West [西王母 Chn: Xiwangmu Kr: Seowangmo] is a 'cultural flow' that has garnered great interest not only in China but also in Korea for many years. To properly understand the cultural trend regarding the Queen Mother of the West, it is essential to view the related mythology as it corresponds to East Asian women as well as the transformation of society's view of women. In addition to the outcomes that result from the establishment of a patriarchal society, the relationship between goddesses and gods gradually becomes a relationship of discrimination based upon differences. Accordingly, as women change into objects that are given meaning rather than subjects that give meaning, the de-sacredization of the goddess occurs. This paper focused on the changes in the perception of the Queen Mother of the West from the view of Yin-Yang theory. This approach shows a transition process of transforming wherein she has morphed into an assistant or spouse of a god as part of a trend that deemphasizes the divinity of her as a stand-alone goddess. Yin-Yang theory is the key to understanding culture, history, and art as well as Chinese philosophy. This key can be further applied to the theme of women in mythology. What is particularly noteworthy about the process by which the Queen Mother of the West was defined as a goddess is that she was original described as half-human and half-beast and yet by the time her depictions became fully human and fully woman, she was described instead as an absolute beauty endowed with great artistic talent. In this paper, it will be revealed that the perception of the Queen Mother of the West, as an absolute beauty and artistic talent, is embedded with the male societal desire for an image of the feminine as understood via Yin-Yang theory. Queen Mother of the West as she was depicted in the Classic of Mountains and Seas (山海經 Chn: Shanhaijing Kr: Sanhaegyeong) had a half-human half-beast form that instilled people with fear of disasters and punishments from heaven. However, in the Han Dynasty, her religious significance became that of an object to ward off evil and attain blessings. By the time of the novel, Tales of the Strange (志怪小說 Chn: Zhiguaixiaoshuo Kr: Jigoesoseol), from the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, she was transformed into a goddess in the image of beautiful woman in charge longevity and immortality. From the perspective of Yin-Yang theory, the changes in the perception of Queen Mother of the West was found to contain the following meaning: as an extension of the establishment of a patriarchal system and subordinate laws, her new form was made to be pleasing to the male gaze and Yin-Yang theory was brought in to support those changes later.