Bianwen refers to a literary genre believed to include some of the earliest examples of vernacular and prosimetric narrative in Chinese literature, mixing prose and verse. These texts date back to the Tang dynasty of 618 to 907 and the Five Dynasties period of 907 to 960, and were first discovered among a cache of manuscripts at Dunhuang, in Gansu Province, China, in the early twentieth century.
Facts
Place of OriginDunhuang, Gansu Province, China, Tang dynasty (618-907) and Five Dynasties (907-960) 1 Notable ExampleMulian Rescues His Mother, a story of Indian origin turned into a Chinese legend through bianwen adaptation. 1 Defining TraitProsimetric narrative mixing verse and prose, defined by scholar Victor Mair through a verse-introductory formula, episodic narrative progression, uniform language and a tie to illustrations. 1 Sources
1. Bianwen (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)lead paragraph
These texts date back to the Tang dynasty (618-907) and Five Dynasties (907-960) periods, and were first discovered among a cache of manuscripts at Dunhuang, Gansu Province, China in the early twentieth century.
Definition section
a unique verse-introductory (or pre-verse) formula, an episodic narrative progression, homogeneity of language, an implicit or explicit relationship to illustrations, and prosimetric structure
lead paragraph, popular stories
Popular stories include Mulian Rescues His Mother, which originated in India but was made into a Chinese legend by the bianwen adaptations.
Literary influences section
Both fiction and drama after the Tang have to some degree been influenced by bianwen.
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