在世界文學發展過程中，有一種顯而易見、又不容忽視的現象：即某一種典型意象，在不同主題的文學作品中反復出現；某一種表現手法，在不同時代的文學作品中被有意無意的再現。即使在一些經典性的文學作品中，深刻的思想、錯綜複雜的感情，總表現在有跡可循的模式或象徵符號中，成為人類深層的經驗圖式，隱含著超越時空的永恆價值。其實，這些主題早就存在於人類生活中甚至神話傳說，並成為文藝創作特別是文學意象和象徵的一個重要泉源。在中國文學作品中普遍可見的「桃」，就是這種象徵符號。它的花開在文學的莖脈中，它的果結在信仰的枝枒上，它的根更是深深扎進民俗的土壤□。它的繁衍，不僅是初民的食物來源之一，也是人們寄寓美好奇麗想像的對象；它的成長，不僅須經歷四時寒暑風雨，也經受了千年來變動不居的文化風暴。舉凡個人的愛情、婚姻、生子與壽夭，團體的禳災、辟邪、除禍與祝禱，這些眾所熟悉的象徵與作用，都是它一圈又一圈向外擴張、深深烙印在人類文化中的年輪。本研究即試圖從神話古籍以及中國少數民族創世傳說等神話材料著手，抽繹出初民在桃身上所寄託的無意識心理，並參驗相關文學作品為佐證，檢視桃意象在中國文學中的象徵文化意涵，以呈現其跨越時空持續存在的背後力量。 / In the development of world literature, there is one phenomenon that is apparent and cannot be ignored: certain typical imagery repeatedly appears in the literary works among various topics; certain way of expressing ideology has been intentionally or unintentionally re-used in the literary works at different times in the history. Even in some classic literary works, profound thoughts and intertwining and complicate emotions are always embedded in the traceable models or symbolic symbols. This approach has become an empirically mental imagery of humankind and implicitly carried the everlasting value that transcends time and space. In fact, these themes have long been existed in the lives of humankind even in the mythology and fables. They have also become very important sources of literary invention, especially in the literary imagery and symbolization. "Peach", commonly seen in Chinese literary works, is a symbol of this symbolization. It blooms on the stem of literature, is ripe on burgeon of belief, and deeply roots in the soil of folk customs. Its gradual increase in number is not only a source of food for ancient people, but also has become the object which people will relate their wishes and imagination to. Its growth not only needs to go through four seasons, cold, hot, wind and rain, but also it has to withstand the cultural storms that are constantly changing and unstable over thousands of years. These well-known symbolizations and effects such as personal affection, marriage, delivery, birthday and death, group's praying for eliminating catastrophe, driving off evils, avoiding disasters, and benison, are all its continuous extensions and they are deeply imprinted in the growth rings in the culture of humankind. This study attempts to start with studying the literature including mythological classic books and world creation legends among China's minority races to deduce the unconscious mentality associated with the peach that antiquity has put into. We will also use evidences in literary works as a supplemental proof and study the symbolic, cultural implication of peach imagery in Chinese literary works to reveal its continuously existent and sustaining strength behind that transcends time and space. Summaries of each chapter are as follows: Chapter 1, Introduction: Research Motivation, Scope and Methodologies It starts with the motivation and steps of this research. It also defines the research direction to help effectively accomplish the objectives of this research and provide a macroscopic view of this research. The method uses "Psychological Archetype" of Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) and "Literary Archetype" of Northrop Frye (1912-1991) as the base vision, and uses the literature as the primary research sources supplementing with the unearthed literature, i.e. a methodology of using multiple sources of evidences. By adopting this approach, we will identify and deduce the metaphorical role of "Peach Imagery" and explicate the profound meaning of "Peach Literature". Chapter 2, Primitive Thought and Plants Worshipping This chapter starts with the investigation of the thinking of antiquity's creation of ancient mythology to understand the principles of creating mythology and explicate the development of primitive thought (or myth thought). This will help capture the characteristics of primitive thought to facilitate the following research in the mythology and archetype. The "peach", the primary role in this research, is a holy tree second to hibiscus tree in China. Therefore, we will also investigate the consciousness of plants worshipping based on the views of ancient people's reliance on plants and the primitive thought of treating every thing to be a living being. At the same time, we zoom in the worshipping of holy trees in China to depict the origins of plant's holy and sacred imagery. Chapter 3, Deification and Mythology of Peach The creation of literary works is absolutely not an invention of any individual. Literary works should be studied in the context of entire scope of literature. The study in the literary history concludes that literature, as an organic entity, is rooted in the primitive culture: the model of initial literature must trace back to the religious ceremony, mythology and legend in ancient society. This chapter will mainly study the "peach" in the mythology. In Chinese mythology, though there is no mythology and legends centered around the peach, yet peach often shows up in activities or events associated with figures in the mythology and in some research as well. In this chapter, the author will base on a different angle of symbolization of symbols – use peach as the primary theme supplementing with figures in mythology or events – and use the method of reviewing mythology and archetype to re-investigate the mythological imagery of peach and to depict the cumulative and settling original imagery of peach in the mythology. Chapter 4, Displacement: Peach Imagery in the Poem and Literature Due to the attraction of Tao Yuanming's "Peach Blossom Shangri-la", the "arcadia" becomes the pronoun of Chinese Utopia and has displayed strong strength of life in Chinese culture. It also deeply influences the consciousness and conducts of Chinese scholars. Though the topic of this chapter is "Peach Imagery in the Poem and Literature", the discussion will focus on the article of "Peach Blossom Shangri-la", supplementing with the literature related to "Peach Blossom Shangri-la", and continue to adopt the method of reviewing mythology and archetype to explore and reveal its implicit, inhibitive, and profound meaning. Chapter 5, Displacement: Peach Imagery in Fable and Drama Based on the angle of archetype review, the clue to induce the law of literary development and evolution is the "displacement" of the archetype. The original mythology and literature will be displaced into a new literary genre along with the progressing of the development in the society. Therefore, after investigating the origins of peach and mythology, and the "arcadia" imagery, this chapter will use more literary works – mainly focusing on novels, dramas (for example, "Journal to the West", "Peach Blossom Fan"), and fables (for example, the story of Emperor Wu of Han China and the story of Liu、Ruan) to reveal peach's model of mythology and its consciousness of archetype in the literary works, as well as how does it stimulate the collective unconsciousness: concern toward life. Chapter 6, Conclusion: Archetype of Life After investigating the symbolic implication of peach from mythology to literature, this chapter will draw conclusions of this research – using the symbolic implication of peach to depict humankind's resisting mentality against death. Even until nowadays, we still can see various cultures of symbolization appearing in the folklore events that use peach imagery. The common mentality behind may be explained as that humankind's strong denial against death over many generations and the unchanging longing for eternal life.