Question. Was I the only one that was a little confused with this drama?
Vernacular literature, according to the merriam webster dictionary is:
a : using a language or dialect native to a region or country rather than a literary, cultured, or foreign language
b : of, relating to, or being a nonstandard language or dialect of a place, region, or country
c : of, relating to, or being the normal spoken form of a language
The connection between Vernacular literature and China occurred during the Yuan Dynasty between 1279-1368 due to the major changes in political and social aspects in China. At this point of time, China did not have a traditional dramatic form of literature. One of the more popular vernacular forms of literature was Cao Xueqin’s, “The Story of the Stone” which is said to deal with issues concerning “intellectual, artistic, and sexual aspirations in life”. Cao Xueqin can be considered a person who was well off at his time but the writer of his biography suggests that the demise of his family’s possessions, including their mansion was confiscated probably due to “political intrigues”. “The Story of the Stone” was never intended for publication and was revised with added chapters done by many different authors which I find to be quite intriguing because each author adds in their own taste to the novel/drama.
What is Vernacular literature?
It is literature written in the vernacular – the speech of the “common people” or in this context, Chinese literature not written in classical Chinese which according to historians was considered to be beneath the notice of the scholar-official class. Vernacular or colloquial literature can be tracked more than 1000 years before Christians and consisted mostly of Poetry later evolving into Drama and Fiction. It would also grow to include histories as well as popular stories and tales which have evolved and morphed into modern times.