Southbound: Fantasies of the Plebeian in the Southern Dynasties

The short, often anonymous yuefu of the South, from the fourth to sixth century CE, mediated by the interests of the male members of the Northern émigré elite, are taken to represent the voice of Southern commoners, particularly of young women. If the Northern elite defined itself in terms of names, history, and high culture, the voices of these yuefu were seen as timeless expressions of the “natural” and never identified by surnames. A second look at the poems shows that they are not simply “natural,” but about “being natural” and making a claim that they are natural. It is a voice telling members of the elite what they want to hear about the commoners. Finally, the essay also considers the preservation of the songs in written form, which transmits the desired image of those ruled to their rulers.