Journal of Dali University ›› 2025, Vol. 10 ›› Issue (9): 1-.

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Identity, Oblivion, and Memory: A Study on the Social Memory of Princess Agai

Gu Jiarong
  

  1. (School of Law and Sociology, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650500, China)
  • Online:2025-09-15 Published:2025-10-14

Abstract:

Memory and oblivion are deeply influenced by social contexts. The fundamental reason why people remember or forget a segment of history lies in the active role of social contexts. During the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, Princess Agai faced the dilemma where loyalty and filial piety could not be reconciled. She sacrificed herself for justice to secure peace in the southern borders of the empire, thus shaping the image of a great national heroine. However, this Mongolian heroine has almost been expunged from the long course of Chinese civilization. Even during the arduous years of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, when Guo Moruo′s inspiring historical drama Peacock′s Gallbladder was staged, Princess Agai experienced a brief resurgence before fading rapidly from public view. In the new era, characterized by abundant material and spiritual civilization, a better life has become the common aspiration of all ethnic groups, and forging a strong sense of the Chinese nation as a community stands as the overarching principle of all work. Consequently, Princess Agai, the "daughter of Kunming", has once again become an object of deliberate remembrance. The Kunming Princess Agai Cultural Industrial Park, established through multi-stakeholder collaboration in Liangwang Mountain on the eastern outskirts of Kunming, uses fine traditional culture as a medium to advance high-quality rural revitalization.

Key words: Princess Agai, identity, social memory