XXXI Международный конгресс ИИСАА. 23–25 июня 2021 г. Т. 1

290 XXXI Международный Конгресс по источниковедению и историографии стран Азии и Африки Секция IX in order to figure out how tales about imperial ‘fair officials’ have been reflected in books illustrations and in popular prints addressing wider illiterate public. Concerning the woodblock editions, we have discovered some editions about Judge Bao-gong 包公 : 1) Xyl. 271, Popular Tale from Ten Thousand Flower pavilion in sixty eight chapters 萬花樓演義六十八回 , (full title: Newly cut xylographic edition about Song Judge Bao. Early Story of Di Qing in 14 juan and 68 chapters 新鐫後續南北宋包 公狄青初傳十四卷六十八回 ); 2) Xyl. 728, Later Sequel of the First Tale about generals Yang family and about star patrons of civil and military service Bao-gong and Di Qing in 14 juan and 68 chapters 後續大宋楊家將文武曲星包公狄青初傳十四卷六十八回 ; 3) Xyl. 771, Cases of Dragon Seal Judge in 8 juan 龍圖公案八卷 (with illustra- tions) and about Judge Shi–gong: ВУ147.Tale about Criminal Cases of Judge Peng with Portraits 繡像施公案傳 . Upon scrutinizing the episodes with fair judges in popular prints nianhua we found out that they mostly depict tales about Qing dynasty judges Shi (Kangxi era country magistrate Shi Shilun 施世綸 , d.1722), who became a protagonist of the novel “Criminal Cases of Judge Shi” Shi-gongan 施公案 (earliest preface dated by 1798) by anonymous author, and Peng (Kangxi era country seat head Peng Peng 彭鹏 , 1637–1704), depicted in a detective novel “Criminal Cases of Judge Peng” Peng-gongan 彭公案 (first edition in 1871) by Тanmeng Daoren 貪夢道人 .“Shi-gong plays” ( Shigongxi 施公戲 ) about Judge Shi-gong and his mates gained popularity during Daoguang period (1821–1850), but their central protagonist is not Judge Shi, but brave man Huang Tianba 黄天霸 with mates expelling villains and robbers. The chivalric novel “Three Knight-errands and Five Righteous One” Sanxia wuyi 三俠 五義 by Shi Yukun 石玉昆 (first edition in 1879) became a bright piece about Judge Bao, which even deserved critics` praise. What is special about popular prints discovered in the State Hermitage on-line catalogue, in the holdings of the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Sciences (MAE RAS) and other Russian collections is that they depict scenes from the traditional drama based on court case stories. The protagonists are wearing theatrical make-up matching their theatrical character, yet in most cases they are not performing on the scene, but in a natural setting, e.g. a yard, banquet terrace or a street. To be precise, prints from Yangli- uqing are featuring scenes in the natural setting, while prints from Shanghai depict stage scenes (all prints are dated by early XX century and have been acquired by Academician V. M.Alekseev). The scenes depicted on sheets ЛТ-4789, ЛТ-4790, ЛТ-4791, ЛТ-4793, ЛТ-5997, ЛТ-5999 from the State Hermitage and a sheet from MAE RAS №МАЭ 3676–19_1 all represent scenes termed as “eight big arrests” ( badana 八大拿 ), a term used to characterize plays about brave men helping Judge Shi. Some of them were popular with nianhua artisans, so that prints have titles