introduction

The Legend of the Yellow Shirt Guest "is a re creation of" The Legend of Huo Xiaoyu "by Chen Jitong, expanding the short story of the legend into a novel. Chen Jitong actively shapes the image of China in his works to combat Western bias. This article will discuss the strategies, characteristics, and causes of Chen's shaping of China's image.

1、 A rich picture of folk culture

The subtitle "Chinese customs" of The Legend of the Yellow Shirt echoes the upsurge of custom description in the 19th century French literary world. Chen Jitong's works, such as "Chinese Self Portrait" and "Chinese Drama", all focus on Chinese social life and introduce themes such as family, religion and marriage. The Legend of the Yellow Shirt depicts in detail the scenery and Chinese cultural elements of Nanjing, Suzhou and Hangzhou through Li Yi and Xiao Yu's honeymoon trip, such as West Lake poetry, the Taihu Lake Lake story, etc. The novel also intersperses introductions to Chinese customs such as imperial examinations, banquets, home decoration, women's beauty, temples, weddings, funerals, etc., echoing the themes of Chen Ji and other works.

2、 The Ideal China of Tea Fragrance and Poetry

The Legend of the Yellow Shirt "showcases an idealized Chinese image full of tea aroma and poetry through the brushstrokes of Chen Jitong. The frequent use of poetic forms in the book to promote the development of the plot, with a total of six poems appearing, reflects the author's emphasis on traditional Chinese poetry. When introducing and appreciating traditional poetry, Chen Jitong pays more attention to the expression of personal emotions, and the poems he cites are often related to beautiful things and rich emotions. In novels, poetry plays an important role in the lives of Chinese literati. For example, Wei Xiaqing took Li Yi to Lianhua's house and enlivened the atmosphere through reciting and writing poetry, reflecting the ubiquity of poetry.

3、 Affective, kind and tolerant Chinese

This paper deeply analyzes the portrayal of the Chinese image in The Legend of the Yellow Shirt, especially the characteristics of rich emotion, kindness and tolerance. Compared with the biography of Huo Xiaoyu, the image of Li Yi in Jiang Fang's works is relatively negative, while Chen Jitong endows Li Yi with sincerity, kindness, and gentlemanly demeanor. In the tragic encounter and love between Li Yi and Huo Xiaoyu, he demonstrated his persistence in love and responsibility for Xiaoyu's happiness, despite ultimately being unable to marry Xiaoyu due to filial piety and cowardice. Huo Xiaoyu's image has also transformed from a prostitute to a pure and self respecting woman. She bravely pursues love while maintaining dignity and tolerance. Chen Jitong also enriched other female characters, such as Mrs. Bao's kindness and resourcefulness, Miss Lu's tenderness and benevolence, and Mrs. Zheng's love. These female images combine the traditional oriental virtues with the female characteristics in European love novels, and show the author's profound understanding and beautiful vision of the Chinese character.

conclusion

It emphasizes the Chinese image portrayed by Chen Jitong in "The Legend of the Yellow Shirt", showcasing a harmonious, prosperous, and peaceful social life, in contrast to industrialized Europe in the 19th century. Chinese people are rich in emotion, love poetry and nature, live a life full of elegance and taste, and have good quality. This image not only reflects the environmental influence of tea fragrance and poetry, but also an organic component of the cultural image of China. The evaluation of the French Book Yearbook in 1890 showed that Chen Jitong's depiction made readers feel as if they were in China, clear and imaginative. Chen Jitong's creative choices conform to the reflection of French literati on modernity and their expectations for the image of "cultural China", and have achieved positive acceptance.