Literati of the Song and the Yuan as Reflected in the Drama of the Two Dynasties

A marked difference of values on marriage and government post between the literati of the Song Dynasty and those of the Yuan Dynasty is much in cvidence as reflected in the drama of the two dynasties.The literati of the Song enjoyed a high social position. What interested them was government position,not the moral sense. To pave their way to high posts, they did not hesitate,ungratefully,to break off relations with their beloved to contemplate matrimony with the girls from the families of the powerful and the wealthy. Their marriages were colored clearly with the aim of selfish gains. It was a vicious result of the imperial examination system of the Song Dynasty. Whereas the literati of the Yuan, being socially low,were keen on wholesome morality, not on high posts.They placed morality before personal official careers, purified in soul, pursuing an ideal marital life.It was an accidental unexpected outcome of the discontinuance of the imperial examination system in the Mongolian dynasty. The difference of values on marriage and government post between two dynasties' literati as reflected in the drama holds a mirror to the difference of cultural backgrounds, political systems and moral tones of the two dynasties,especially to the difference of the literati' s ethics and pursuits in life.