Unit8ChineseLiteratureWarm-upActivityQuestionsfordiscussion:1)Lookatthefollowingpictures.TheyareallillustrationsofthefamousstoriesofthefourgreatnovelsofChineseliterature.Doyouknoworcanyoutellanyofthesestories?a.Story1:颐和园长廊上的彩绘:桃园三结义2008-04拍摄,绘画年代大约于19世纪末OathofthePeachGardenTheOathofthePeachGarden(桃园三结义)wasanoathinthehistoricalnovel1RomanceoftheThreeKingdoms,bywhichthethreewarriorsLiuBei,GuanYu,andZhangFeibecameswornbrothersinaceremonyamidpeachblossomtrees.TheoriginalgoalofthePeachGardenOathwastoprotecttheHanDynastyfromtheYellowTurbans.ThisactboundthethreekeymenofthefutureShu-HanKingdomofChinaandisoftenalludedtoasasymboloffraternalloyalty.Nothinginhistoricalrecordssuggestsuchaneventhappened,thoughthethreewerenotedtobeclose,tothepointofsharingthesamebed.Theoath,asitappearsintheWikisourcetranslationofRomanceoftheThreeKingdoms/Chapter1,wasthis:WhensayingthenamesLiuBei,GuanYuandZhangFei,althoughthesurnamesaredifferent,yetwehavecometogetherasbrothers.Fromthisdayforward,weshalljoinforcesforacommonpurpose,andcometoeachother'saidintimesofcrisis.Weshallavengethenationfromabove,andpacifythecitizenryfrombelow.Weseeknottobebornonthesameday,inthesamemonthandinthesameyear.Wemerelyhopetodieonthesameday,inthesamemonthandinthesameyear.Maythegodsofheavenandearthattesttowhatisinourhearts.Ifweshouldeverdoanythingtobetrayourfriendship,maythegodsinheavenstrikeusdead.Inmanyothertranslations,onlythesectiondealingwith"dyingontheselfsameday"ispresent.However,thethreebrothersdonotdieonthesameday:GuanYuisexecutedbySunQuan,ZhangFeiisassassinatedbyhisownmenwhomhetreatedwithcruelty,andLiuBeidiesofillnessafterthedisastrousattemptstoavengeGuanYuandreclaimtheprovinceofJing.TheoathinspiredthepresentdaysecretsocietiesinChinesecommunities,suchastheTriad,touseasimilarritualwhenswearinginnewmembers."Thoughnotbornonthesamedayofthesamemonthinthesameyear,wehopetodieso"—thephrasethethreebrothersmadeduringtheoath—hadalsobecomepopularamongthepresentdaysecretsocietymembers....