Social Development & Cultural Transformation after Mid Ming Dynasty:Social and Cultural Background for Ming Opera(III)

After Mid Ming Dynasty,the feudal ruler had become conservative,losing the enterprising spirit at the founding period with social ethics deteriorating ever increasingly.As a result,the role of society as a collective force was weakened,the authority of traditional culture was dethroned,and the time was calling for new ideas.Wang Shouren's philosophy,Li Zhuowu's rebellious spirit,the Poetic and Archaic Movements in the Mid Ming Dynasty,the anti-orthodox Gong'an School and the dramatic writing of Tang Xianzhu and Xu Wei all could be regarded as expressions of the respect for individuality,the rebellion against tradition and the pursuit of reform and renovation in the late years the dynasty.They form a sharp contrast against the former vogue of unity and convergence,reflecting the intellectual longing for freedom.When researching into the development of Ming Opera,we should by no means ignore such a cultural and historic background.