[Dissertation] How a city speaks: urban space in Chang'an and the construction of Tang Dynasty narratives

Author:
WU, Chen

Defended:
2016

School:
The University of Wisconsin - Madison

Advisor:
Nienhauser, William H.

Abstract:

Tang Dynasty China witnessed an unprecedented flourishing of narrative writing. The Tang capital, Chang’an, as an international metropolis populated with talented writers and full of interesting subjects, was an ideal setting for the development of narrative texts. This dissertation argues that the urban space in Chang’an, with the memory, rhythm, and functions of the sub-spaces within it—the subjects of the three chapters to follow—had a significant impact on the formation and circulation of Tang narratives and on the construction of their plots. Besides the pool of cityscape material at the writer’s disposal, the historical depth of the capital and its representativeness as “the” Chinese city, gave narratives a special meaning from the very beginning.

As a part of the history of the city, urban memories played a big part. The transformations between the physical spaces of various works of architecture—such as residences, temples, tombs, and palaces—generated numerous urban legends and mysteries, which gave these spaces an enhanced spiritual dimensions. Tang Dynasty writers, therefore, preserved these spaces in literary texts and used the memories to enrich what were originally simple and formulaic stories.

The ongoing daily rhythm of the city was another distinct factor in constructing narratives of Chang’an. The Tang Dynasty curfew system caused the routinized opening and closing of ward and city gates and thus the alternately separated and connected spaces by these gates. For narrative writers, the daily rhythm of the urban space provided motivations for the delays, progressions, and twists in plots, all of which naturalized and authenticated the narrative.

Last but not least, many public spaces in Chang’an, such as the crowded markets, bustling streets, popular sightseeing spots, and secularized temples, stepped beyond their original roles and became a social stage for citizens to meet, learn, entertain and perform, creating new networks and patterns of behavior. The additional functions of these public spaces were emphasized, exaggerated, and skillfully used to create coincidences, intensify dramatic tensions and advance the plots.

Table of Contents:

INTRODUCTION

Chapter One. The City Remembered: Residences, Temples, Tombs, and Palaces 
One Space, a Continuing Story, and an Everlasting Memory 

Voice from the Other World 
Nostalgia and Trauma: The City’s Memory 

Chapter Two. Urban Spaces and Practices of Separation and Connection: On Uses of Walls and Gates in Cities and Wards

The Ward System and Plot Development in Tang Love Stories 
The Ward System and the Narrative Construction of Tang Supernatural Stories

Chapter Three. The Chang’an of Infinite Possibilities: Public Space and Its Narrative Representations 

East and West Markets: An Information Distribution Center

The Qujiang Area: An Ideal Place for Encounters 

Buddhist Temples and Taoist Temples: Beyond Religious Responsibilities 

The Mutual Gaze and the Shift towards Public Space: A Case Study of The
Hua’e/Qinzheng Towers 

TOWARDS A CONCLUSION