Sichuan, Chaozhou, and Anhui Opera

The Legend of the White Snake is a muchloved story that has been revised and refined over
hundreds of years. Originally a violent and evil demon in the earlier stories, White Snake has
evolved into a noble heroine who, like the Hibiscus Fairy, risks everything for her love of a mortal.
A monk, Fahai, who was a righteous and holy instrument of heaven in earlier tellings, has ended up
as an unwelcome spoiler of domestic happiness. This change reflects a modern attitude in China
that upholds the right of these characters to forge their happiness in defiance of the hierarchy of
heaven. The story has had a lasting presence and still holds a lively place in literature and the
performing arts. In the White Lotus Pool at Emei Mountain in the province of Sichuan lived a white
snake. Some say that the beginning of this story was in the distant past, when a young man saved
the life of that snake in an earlier incarnation. Others say that the snake and the man were once
heavenly beings who fell in love. Buddha had separated them because the young man was at that
time an adept, one of Buddha's great disciples, and romantic affairs were forbidden to him. White
Snake was sent to the White Lotus Pool and the disciple was sent into the world of mortals to go
through the cycle of reincarnation. But all this happened before this story. Whatever the truth of the
matter, the destinies of the snake and the man were bound together. White Snake spent many long
years perfecting herself through Taoist practice. She became very beautiful, generous, and powerful.
One day, she determined to go into the world and seek out the man, who had no memory of her in
his present incarnation. He was called Xu Xian and now lived in the glorious city of Hangzhou in
southeastern China. Blue Snake, another spiritual being, accompanied White Snake as her servant.
The two encountered Xu Xian at China's famed West Lake, where he gallantly lent them an
umbrella to protect from the rain what he thought were two beautiful women. Xu Xian fell in love
with the mysterious Miss White, and it was not very long before they married. This perfect couple
set up house with the blue snake spirit attending to their needs. Not everyone, however, thought that
they were a model couple. The first intrusion on their happiness came from a Taoist priest. He saw
by his arts that Xu Xian was married to something inhuman. He denounced Miss White as a
monster and challenged her to drink his potions mixed with powerful incantations. The White Snake
was confident that her Taoist powers were stronger. She was right. She drank his medicines with no
ill effect. The next intrusion was more serious. The Buddhist monk Fahai from the Golden
Mountain Temple warned Xu Xian that he was living with a snake, not a woman. Xu Xian did not
believe this monk, for after all had not the Taoist priest proved false? Fahai challenged Xu Xian to
put his accusation to the test and suggested the way. The Dragon Boat Festival was near, when it
was the custom to drink a powerful wine mixed with medicine for protection against snake bites. If
Miss White could be induced to drink it, she would certainly change back into her true form. Xu
Xian accepted the challenge, and on the day urged his wife to drink . Sh e did , bu t thi s tim e he r
power s wer e no t stron g enough : sh e reverte d t o he r tru e form . X u Xia n collapse d i n fear ,
an d whe n Whit e Snak e returne d t o huma n shap e sh e dis - covere d tha t th e shoc k ha d kille d
he r husband . Sh e fle w t o Fair y Mountai n t o obtai n a specia l her b t o reviv e him . Fightin g
off th e guardia n spirits , sh e too k th e her b an d brough t i t bac k t o he r belove d X u Xian , wh
o recovered . Th e mon k Faha i di d no t giv e up . H e con - vince d X u Xia n t o com e t o th e
temple , wher e h e place d hi m unde r th e umbrell a o f forgetful - nes s t o subver t th e influenc e
o f th e Whit e Snake . Sh e followe d an d demande d tha t th e mon k releas e he r husband . Whe n
h e di d not , sh e calle d u p a grea t arm y fro m th e se a t o assaul t th e temple . Frogs , turtles , an
d count - les s othe r aquati c spirit s launche d thei r attack . Faha i countere d b y invokin g warrior
s fro m heaven , th e mos t powerfu l o f whic h wa s hi s transforme d beggar' s bowl . Th e battl e
wa s fero - cious , an d finall y Whit e Snak e raise d a floo d t o subdu e th e temple . Suddenly , sh
e ha d t o retire , wea k an d i n pai n becaus e sh e wa s carryin g a child . Th e bab y i n he r wom b
wa s unde r th e protectio n o f a god , an d s o Whit e Snak e wa s abl e t o ge t awa y t o safety .
Meanwhile , X u Xia n escape d an d trie d t o mak e hi s wa y bac k t o hi s wife b y crossin g Brea
k Bridge . Ther e h e me t Whit e Snake , wh o wa s regainin g he r strength . H e wante d t o spea k
t o her , bu t Blu e Snak e upbraide d hi m fo r hi s thoughtlessnes s an d ingratitude . X u Xia n wa s
wounde d b y th e justic e o f he r words . H e no w kne w th e dept h o f Whit e Snake' s lov e fo r
him . H e trul y regrette d al l tha t ha d happened , an d th e thre e wer e reconciled . Togethe r again
, th e thre e wen t awa y t o escap e th e persecutio n o f th e monk . The y
seemed to have succeeded, and the baby was born. Yet one month after the birth, Fahai tracked
them down. He confronted White Snake and used heavenly powers to catch her in his golden
beggar's bowl. Finally, he imprisoned her under a tall pagoda as punishment for her unnatural
marriage. Some say that many years later the pagoda collapsed and White Snake regained her
freedom. But that is another story

eight immortal cross the sea (peking opera)

Long ago, some favoured men and women in pursuit of perfection obtained immortality. The Eight
Immortals are a band of these blessed beings, and they represent the whole spectrum of human
society. Male and female, young and old, rich and poor, able bodied and disabled are found among
them. Their chief, Zhong Liquan, carries a feather fan with which he revives the dead. The
immortals are regular guests at a great banquet held by the Queen of the Western Heaven to
celebrate her birthday. They drink much wine and eat their fill of heavenly peaches. This story
happened at the end of one of those great banquets. The Eight Immortals enjoyed themselves
immensely and drank a great deal. They left the party drunk and decided to roam about until the
strong drink wore off. Arriving at the shore of the Eastern Sea, the immortals decided it would be
pleasant to sail across it. One of their company, Zhang Guolao, cautioned against the plan. Zhang
Guolao was a hermit who rode backward on a magic donkey and was versed in divination. He
recommended that the group consult the oracles to find out whether or not such a trip was
auspicious. The group did not want to wait for that. After all, were they not Taoist adepts? They
could handle any trouble that came their way. What came their way was the Goldfish Fairy. She
lived in the Eastern Sea and wanted to know just who these strangers were. The immortal Lii
Dongbin, self-satisfied and sure of his Taoist superiority, began to provoke the fairy and make fun
of her. The Goldfish Fairy, however, was not one to be teased. She could not endure these drunken,
ill-mannered immortals and launched an attack against them. The immortals fought her on the sea
as best they could but found all their skills were no match for the fairy. She vanquished them and
there was no way out but to eat humble pie, apologize, and go chastened on their way.

Crossing Wits An hui opera

The Chinese delight in good riddles, which have long been a special part of celebrations and great
festivals such as New Year. The Chinese language, with its tones and pictorial writing, permits a
wealth of clever puns and jokes. Audiences enjoy Crossing Wits not for swiftly executed acrobatics
but for its fastmoving, skilful repartee. The immortal Lii Dongbin once visited the city of Hangzhou
with his servant. He strolled about carrying his magic sword and Taoist fly whisk. That no one
recognized him just confirmed his own high opinion of his powers. Lii Dongbin stopped in front of
a medicine shop and read the sign: 'We have all medicines for all diseases!' He was aghast at the
presumption of this little shop and decided to teach the owners a lesson. Bai Yunlong and his
daughter, White Peony, ran their business to do good in the world rather than for profit. Bai Yunlong
welcomed the immortal and his servant into his shop, thinking them ordinary customers. What
could he do for the gentlemen? Lii Dongbin baited him. Was the shopkeeper sure that he could
supply any medicine for any need? Bai Yunlong assured him that he could. What a braggart, thought
the immortal. Lii Dongbin then ordered four special medicines: satisfaction tablets, contentment
pills, worry cream, and anger powder. Bai Yunlong was taken aback. What kind of medicines were
these? He thought fast and pretended that they were temporarily out of stock. Aha! The immortal
had caught him out. His sign was just a false boast and should be broken into pieces! Bai Yunlong
begged the immortal and his servant not to break his sign but to wait while he checked in the back.
Bai Yunlong talked over the problem with his daughter. White Peony was a clever girl, and she
realized at once that the mysterious customer was playing some kind of game. She sent her father
away, assuring him that she would handle the situation, and went to face the immortal. White Peony
told him that she knew his game: he was making up names to try and show them up. Lii Dongbin
was not one to be bested by a shop girl, so he challenged her to a trial of wits. If she could guess his
riddles, she could save her sign board. White Peony agreed. Lii Dongbin smiled to himself. It was
really too unfair of him - a common shop girl in a trial of wits with a great Taoist immortal! The
young White Peony waited unconcerned as her customer prepared his questions. First he gave her a
number of cryptic medicinal names, believing that she could never guess what the real medicines
were. But she guessed every one. Then he posed riddles of heavenly things. She got them all He
tried questions about earthly things. She got all those too. The servant took the immortal aside and
advised him to leave before he humiliated himself any more. This person was just too clever for the
immortal! Lii Dongbin did not like the sound of that and launched into more riddles, this time
referring to the shop girl herself. White Peony had no trouble at all guessing the right answers.
Trying to save the face of his master, the servant tried posing riddles that referred to the immortal.
White Peony used each answer to insult this uppity customer who obviously thought so much of
himself and so little of her. Finally, exhausted of riddles, Lii Dongbin was speechless. White Peony,
however, was not. She advised him not to underestimate people. Don't be so proud, she scolded,
because you have just an ordinary mind. You go about feeling so superior but accomplish nothing of
importance. Lii Dongbin and the servant slunk away. Imagine being bested by a common shop girl!
4.16 The immortal sits back ready to make a fool of the shop girl. Anhui opera 4.17 (facing page)
The shop girl, White Peony, brings in tea and prepares to make a fool of the immortal Anhui opera

Monkey Business in Heaven Peking and Hebei Clapper Opera Sun Wukong was not just any
monkey. He was the king of the monkeys on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. He possessed
magic skills learned from a Taoist master and wielded a great weapon, a staff won from the Dragon
King of the Eastern Sea beneath the water. Having searched the earth and the seas for their secrets,
the audacious Sun Wukong turned his attention to heaven. He ascended to paradise, where he
pointed out to the heavenly court that his cleverness and great abilities entitled him to both a title
and a position in the heavenly bureaucracy. He had come for a job. The Jade Emperor reluctantly
agreed to Monkey's outrageous proposed title, Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and gave him a job in
the stables. Monkey wanted a more prestigious appointment than that and finally found himself
tending heaven's own peach orchard. These particular peaches were great treasures because once
ripe, and they only ripened every 3,000 years, they conferred immortality on whoever ate them. The
Queen of the Western Heaven prepared for her great peach banquet; it was going to be a wonderful
affair. She invited the Eight Immortals, the Goddess of Mercy, and other assorted heavenly
celebrities. The queen did not, however, invite Monkey. Sun Wukong decided that the only thing to
do was to invite himself. He sneaked into the banquet before the feast began and glutted himself on
peaches. The mischievous monkey king then flew to the alchemy studio of the founder of Taoism,
Laozi, and swallowed up all his magic pills. With that, he quit heaven and returned to his monkey
friends on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. Heaven sent its forces out after the audacious
Monkey to teach him a lesson, but it did not work the way they intended. Sun Wukong defeated
them round after round. Finally, he even bested the powerful Heavenly Warrior and his mighty
clubs. In a later episode, it takes the intervention of Buddha himself to capture and punish Monkey
by imprisoning him under a mountain until he can perform a great service to expiate his crimes.
And that is just the beginning of his adventures. 4.18 (facing page) The monkeys on the Mountain
of Flowers and Fruit hoist their king, Sun Wukong, who has returned victorious from his battle with
heaven. They proudly fly a banner declaring him 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven,' Hebei Clapper
opera 4.19 Sun Wukong easily defeats the Heavenly Warrior and his mighty clubs. Peking opera
HEAVENL Y BEING S 57 Monkey Steals the Magic Fan Shaoxing Opera Sun Wukong got his
freedom from Buddha on one condition. He had to join a band of pilgrims on their way to India.
Sandy and Pigsy, two other heavenly beings making reparation for their offences, and the monk
Xuanzang were all on a mission to get the Buddhist scriptures from India and bring them back to
China. While on their way, they came to a scorched land. How were they to cross it? What's more,
how were they to pass the great fiery mountain that barred their path? Monkey learned from the
local inhabitants that a fairy called the Iron Fan Princess lived nearby. She had a magic fan that
could extinguish the great fiery mountain. Well, said Monkey, that was just the thing. He sought her
out and asked as politely as a monkey could for the loan of her fan so that he and his companions
could be on their way. The princess was enraged! Monkey was none other than the monster who
had once defeated her son in battle. Give him the fan? She waved the fan and conjured up a mighty
wind that blew Sun Wukong far away. Monkey was never one to give up. He returned but this time
used his powers to transform himself into a tiny insect. Unbeknown to the princess, he landed in her
tea, which she then drank. Once in her stomach, Monkey moved around and about to make her
groan with pain. She could only get him to leave her body by promising to give him the fan. But it
was a trick. Monkey soon found out that he had been given the wrong fan. Again he flew back to
the princess. If he failed as an insect, he would not fail as her husband, the Ox King. The
unsuspecting princess told the imposter Ox King the whole story of that monstrous Monkey and
how she had so cleverly outwitted him. Monkey, as the Ox King, congratulated her and asked for
the fan. She gave it to him and guessed only too late that she had been tricked. The real Ox King
returned and managed to get the fan back again. A terrific battle ensued, as the Ox King and Sun
Wukong used all their powers and transformations. Monkey triumphed in the end, and the Ox King
had to surrender the magic fan. Sun Wukong waved it, extinguished the fire on the mountain, and
brought rain to the parched land. The little company of pilgrims was able to continue on its way.
4.20 Sun Wukong rides on Pigsy's back, delighted that he has won the magic fan. He will soon
discover that he has been tricked and the fan is counterfeit. Shaoxing opera 4.21 (facing page)
Monkey holds his staff ready to do battle as he seeks out the Iron Fan Princess. Shaoxing opera 58
Monkey and the White Bone Demon Shaoxing Opera The White Bone Demon was an evil spirit
who lay in wait for a special kind of victim. It was determined to get power and immortality by
eating the flesh of a holy monk. When the pilgrims approached his mountain, the evil spirit saw its
chance. It appeared to the monk Xuanzang as a beautiful young maiden offering to show him the
way to a nearby temple. Monkey saw through the disguise at once and wasted no time in killing the
maiden with his staff. Xuanzang was furious at what Monkey had done and would not listen to his
explanations. The evil spirit was not dead but took a new form to trick Xuanzang when Sun
Wukong was away. This time it appeared as an old woman weeping over the death of her beloved
daughter. This, thought Xuanzang, was no doubt the mother of the young maiden whom Monkey
had so recklessly killed. To his horror, Monkey suddenly appeared and killed the old woman too.
This was evidence that Sun Wukong had not reformed and was not willing to carry out the task of
reparation given to him by Buddha. Xuanzang threatened to pronounce secret words - taught to him
by Buddha for the purpose of controlling the wayward monkey king - that would cause Monkey
intense, unbearable pain. Monkey was very worried. The monk refused to believe him and was in
terrible danger. Sun Wukong had killed mere appearances but not the real demon, who would surely
try again. He decided to seek out the demon on his own, and set off to do so. While Monkey was
gone, the demon appeared for the third time. Xuanzang saw an old man holding meditation beads in
one hand and sutras in the other. The old man complained to the monk that Sun Wukong had
murdered both his wife and his daughter. Just as the disguised demon was taking in the credulous
monk, Sun Wukong returned and made to attack the apparition. Xuanzang hastily recited his spell,
and Monkey suffered so much pain that the White Bone Demon escaped. Xuanzang lamented that
the monkey king was irredeemable and banished him from his company. There was nothing for it
but to return to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. Xuanzang, Pigsy, and Sandy finally entered the
temple to which the demon had attempted to lure them from the beginning. They felt at once that
something was very wrong. Pigsy got out, but before the others could follow the disguise dissolved
and Xuanzang saw that he was in fact trapped in a demon's cave. Alerted by Pigsy, Monkey rushed
to his master's rescue. He found a party of evil spirits escorting an old female demon who had been
invited to the banquet of monk flesh. Monkey killed them all and by assuming the shape of the old
demon gained admittance to the banquet. The White Bone Demon welcomed its guest, unaware of
the trick. It showed the disguised Sun Wukong a heated cooking pot and the soon-to-be-stewed
captive. Monkey revealed himself and fought the demon until it appeared in its true form of a
skeleton and perished. Master and disciple were reconciled, and the pilgrims pressed on westward.
But that was neither the end of their adventures nor the last time they would meet demons. 60 4.2 2
(facing page) The White Bone Demon stands surrounded by its armed and fierce fellow spirits.
Shaoxing opera 4-23 Xuanzang, duped by the demon, protects what he thinks is an old religious
man from the monkey, Sun Wukong. Shaoxing opera HEAVENL Y BEING S 6 l Monkey and the
Cave of Spiders Peking Opera Spider spirits inhabited a dark cave deep in the mountains. Like the
White Bone Demon, they eagerly anticipated the day when they could feast on the flesh of a holy
monk. As it happened/ Xuanzang's journey west took him near their cave. The spiders thought him
especially delectable. Such a holy man would undoubtedly confer immortality on whomever was
clever enough to eat him/ and the spiders were determined to be that crafty. They secured the body
of the beautiful Queen of the Land of Women/ pulling out her soul and turning her into their
creature. She used her charms to entice the monk away from his companions and into the deadly
cave of spiders. There/ the queen tried to force the monk into a deadly marriage that was to end with
an even deadlier wedding feast. Monkey used all his skills of transformation to gain entrance to the
cave and engage the spider spirits in battle. He plucked hairs from his body/ blew them into the air/
and became not one but many formidable monkeys. After a great battle/ in which he defeated the
queen/ he transformed himself into a chicken and pecked all the spider demons until they were no
more. Once again/ Sun Wukong had saved Xuanzang and assured that their mission to bring the
word of Buddha to China would be successful. 4-2-4 Pigsy, Sun Wukong, Sandy, and the monk
Xuanzang enter dangerous territory on their pilgrimage west. Peking opera 4.25 (facing page) Sun
Wukong uses his skills of transformation to battle the spider spirits, who have secured the body of
the beautiful Queen of the Land of Women. He plucks hairs from his body, blows them into the air,
and becomes a whole troupe of formidable monkeys. Peking opera 62 HEAVENL Y BEING S 63
Chapter 5 Emperors and Their Ladies EMPERORS RULED CHINA from the second century BC to
the early twentieth century AD. The Chinese term for emperor was first used by the King of Qin
about 221 BC. He united several states clustered around the Yellow River into an empire that was
meant to endure forever. Consequently, he took the name First Emperor, becoming Qin Shihuang. It
was First Emperor who became famous, or infamous, for the massive forced labour projects that
included the Great Wall of China, a network

emperrror nad his ladys

EMPERORS RULED CHINA from the second century BC to the early twentieth century AD. The
Chinese term for emperor was first used by the King of Qin about 221 BC. He united several states
clustered around the Yellow River into an empire that was meant to endure forever. Consequently,
he took the name First Emperor, becoming Qin Shihuang. It was First Emperor who became
famous, or infamous, for the massive forced labour projects that included the Great Wall of China, a
network of roads and canals, and a spectacular tomb in Xi'an with thousands of life-sized warriors,
horses, and chariots. His dynasty did not endure forever, but emperors ruled China for two
millennia after him. The power of the Chinese emperor was intimately connected with two
concepts. The first, that the emperor was the son of heaven, went back to the earliest times, and it
meant that he was regarded as the intermediary between heaven and humanity. He was the only one
who could perform the necessary rituals and make sacrifices on behalf of the people. The emperor
was responsible when heaven was not pleased with the state of the empire and had to prostrate
himself in the temple in penance. These practices, descended from the Zhou dynasty kings of 3,000
years ago, continued into the twentieth century with China's final dynasty, the Qing, at the
impressive Temple of Heaven, which still stands in Beijing. The second concept underlying
imperial power was that an emperor ruled only with the authority of heaven. His mandate could be
revoked if he did not rule well. Ancient philosophers such as Mencius articulated the theory that the
emperor was thus obligated by a higher power to rule benevolently for the well-being of all his
subjects. An ancient book of history, Shangshu, states, 'Heaven sees as far as the people see; Heaven
hears as the people hear/ Should the emperor fail to act in the best interests of the people,
astrological signs and natural disasters would demonstrate heavenly displeasure, and the mandate
would pass to another through insurrection, coup, or invasion. Success or failure was therefore
evidence of heaven's will. The emperors of China gradually became absolute and distant rulers.
Elaborate court protocol developed around every aspect of imperial life, so that by the end of the
Qing dynasty the emperor was a remote autocrat living in a 'forbidden city/ Yet Yang Guifei and
Emperor Ming, in Reunion in the aS the Pe°Ple Were CUt °ff from him/ SO he was Cut °ff from the
Pe°Ple- The emperor Moon Palace. Cantonese opera relied on a vast bureaucratic network of
officials to bring him information and to 65 a a carry out his commands. Princes were made - much
as a Western royal would bestow the title of lord. Kings ruled small states, and the emperor ruled a
unified country made up of former states. Emperors, empresses, and imperial concubines have
always been a popular focus of traditional Chinese theatre. The following operas bring the audience
into the emperors' forbidden chambers to show them and their ladies as idealists, villains, and tragic
figures. An emperor might seem remote and godlike in distant Beijing, but he acquires humanity on
the stage. 66 The Intoxicated Concubine Anhui and Peking Opera The Intoxicated Concubine is a
showpiece for the female role. It is closely identified with the famous female impersonator Mei
Lanfang/ who is better known in China and the West than any other Chinese opera performer. The
role of the concubine requires a range of emotions from joy to sorrow/ physical dexterity and
lightness to convey drunkenness/ and the execution of a particularly difficult arching of the body
called a kite turn. Mei Lanfang was able to perform all this in his sixties. The imperial concubine;
known as Yang Guifei, one of the great beauties of China, waited for the emperor. He had promised
to come to his favourite in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, where they would drink, feast, and enjoy
each other. She looked for him expectantly, but he did not come. Where was he? A palace eunuch
informed her that His Majesty would not come this evening, having gone instead to the quarters of
one of his other concubines. Lady Yang was stunned by the news. This was not simply a broken
appointment. She was out of favour and had been replaced. What was she to do? She had been
abandoned by the emperor and had lost her status as a consequence. The imperial concubine
ordered drink brought to her. She would lose herself in cup after cup. As Lady Yang drank, she
became more and more intoxicated until she had to be supported by her maids, who helped her back
to her quarters, but the imperial concubine was not finished. She returned to the garden and ordered
the eunuchs to bring her more wine. The first eunuch brought the wine, but it was too hot. After
cooling it down, he offered the cup to Lady Yang. She looked at it and coyly bent over, hands on
hips, picking up the cup with her teeth and arching backward to drink it down. Completely
intoxicated, she cast a flirtatious eye at the befuddled eunuch. The second eunuch also brought her
wine. Again, she picked up the heated cup with her teeth and drank it down by bending backward.
Alarmed, the eunuchs could think of nothing to do but to make up the story that the emperor had
changed his mind and was coming. The maids and eunuchs linked arms in a line on both sides of
the imperial concubine to hold her up, but she was still very drunk and when she staggered the
whole line swayed back and forth like a dancing cobra. When the emperor did not arrive, Lady
Yang became very angry, slapping one of the eunuchs for refusing to go and command the emperor
to come to her. Finally, in a flirtatious mood again, she stole a hat from one of the eunuchs and wore
it on top of her elaborate court headdress. Perhaps she would pretend that she was a man! Tiring of
this sport, she flung the hat back and staggered into her own rooms. The emperor, however, did
return his attentions - so much so, in fact, that he became infatuated with the beauty and neglected
the good government of the empire. Chinese history records that when a rebellion broke out, the
emperor's own troops blamed Lady Yang for diverting the emperor and demanded her death. She
was strangled with a white silk cord. 5.2 (facing page) The concubine performs a kite turn to pick
up a cup of heated wine with her teeth, drink it, and return it to the tray. Peking opera The
concubine Lady Yang has drunk too much. Anhui opera EMPEROR S AN D THEI R LADIE S 67
5.3 The Emperor's Daughter Cantonese Opera An emperor of China looked down in sorrow at a
young girl, 'My daughter! My daughter!7 he cried in anguish. 'Why did you have to be born a
princess?' And with that he killed her and took his own life. It was the seventeenth century/ and the
great Ming dynasty had ruled for nearly 300 years. The imperial household had been planning to
celebrate the marriage of Princess Changping to her beloved Zhou Shixian. But the celebration
turned to tragedy when the Manchurian tribes of the north invaded China. There was no escape for
the emperor or his family. Tradition demanded that the women of the imperial household give up
their lives to preserve their honour and that of the dynasty. The emperor gave his daughter a red
scarf with which to hang herself/ but Zhou Shixian could not bear it and stopped her. Finally/ the
emperor himself fulfilled the last duty of a royal house and killed his daughter to protect the family
honour. This story tells how suffering touches even an imperial princess and how royalty is bound
by its own code. A court official discovered/ however/ that the princess was only wounded/ not
dead. He whisked her off and hid her in his mansion. Once there/ Princess Changping began to
recover/ but she was not safe. The official's son persuaded his father to hand the princess over to
China's new rulers and thus secure a position in the new order. Having overheard their plans/ the
princess escaped with the help of the official's daughter/ who had befriended her. Princess
Changping assumed the role of a young Buddhist nun who had recently died/ and her life was now
filled with hard work. Her drudgery seemed endless/ but at least/ she thought/ she was safe from
recognition. One winter day while she collected firewood/ a young man rode by. The princess
looked up and panicked. Who was it but her betrothed/ Zhou Shixian? But she had been through so
much suffering and betrayal. Had he gone over to the enemy? She no longer knew who to trust and
so ran into the temple to hide. Zhou Shixian/ who still loved the princess/ pursued her into the
temple and pleaded until she revealed her secret. They did not know/ however/ that their tearful
reunion had been overheard by the mother superior. In the hope of a generous donation/ the mother
superior immediately informed the official who had sought to betray the princess that he had been
tricked. The official confronted Zhou Shixian and tried to entice him to deliver Princess Changping
and cooperate with the new dynasty. They could be married and enjoy life in the palace; the new
emperor simply wanted to use her name to justify his throne and stabilize the country. Zhou Shixian
knew that neither he nor the princess could escape/ so he went to her and argued that they could
bargain for a proper burial of her father and the release of her imprisoned brother. Under those
terms/ the two agreed to give themselves up. And so Princess Changping and Zhou Shixian
returned. The new emperor threw a wedding party for them/ welcoming them into the new regime.
But the princess and her beloved had other plans. Not wishing to be used by their enemy and having
accomplished their goals/ the newly wedded couple drank poison and waited beneath a tree in the
garden to die. They died knowing that they had fulfilled their duty to the vanquished Ming dynasty.
68 5.4 (facing page) Princess Changping prepares to hang herself with a red scarf as the
Manchurian invaders enter the city. Her beloved, Zhou Shixian, cannot endure it and stops her.
Cantonese opera 5- 5 Zhou Shixian, wearing his travelling cloak, sees a Buddhist nun with a
familiar face. Cantonese opera EMPEROR S AN D THEI R LADIE S 6 9 5.6 The newly married
coupledresed in royal wedding finery, prepare to drink poison. Cantonese operd 70 The Emperor;s
Daughter 5-7 The couple die by poison in the garden rather than serve the new regime. Cantonese
opera EMPEROR S AN D THEI R LADIE S 71 In the Emperor's Garden' $?±.n Yue Opera An
emperor invites his loyal prime minister into an idyllic garden. They speak in poetry of birds and
fish, but each word is a disguise. The prime minister is actually the beautiful woman Meng Lijun,
who has passed herself off as a man. This is shocking behaviour for any properly brought up
Chinese girl, yet it is not the only such story. The most famous is about a maiden, Hua Mulan, who
dresses up as a male soldier to take her ailing father's place in war out of the respectable Confucian
virtue of filiality. In another story, the maiden Zhu Yingtai dresses as a man so that she can attend a
scholar's academy, which is forbidden to women. Interestingly, Hua Mulan did very well on the
battlefield and distinguished herself as a warrior, and Zhu Yingtai proved to be an excellent scholar.
In this excerpt from the opera Meng Lijun, a woman distinguishes herself by becoming an
outstanding prime minister to the emperor. Thus in these stories women who step out of their
traditional roles through the device of a disguise find opportunities to excel Meng Lijun was a
highly educated and beautiful woman, and she attracted the attention of the brother of the emperor's
concubine. He competed for her hand in marriage with the young general Huangpu Shaohua but
lost. Furious, the concubine's brother arrested and ruined her family, but Meng Lijun narrowly
escaped, disguised as a man. Years passed, and one day Huangpu Shaohua arrived at court to
receive the emperor's reward for his service on the battlefield. That reward was to be an arranged
marriage, but the young man had no room in his heart for anyone but Meng Lijun. To his surprise,
the brilliant new prime minister spoke up for the young general and had the marriage put off. Why?
Huangpu Shaohua watched the prime minister closely and soon discovered the truth. The prime
minister was none other than his beloved Meng Lijun. She would not admit her identity, and so in
great hope the general took a portrait of Meng Lijun directly to the emperor. Unfortunately, the
emperor was so smitten by the portrait that he decided to trip up his prime minister and win her for
himself. The emperor invited his prime minister into the palace garden to exchange elegant verse.
His verse was suggestive, but Meng Lijun did not betray herself. The emperor drew her attention to
the fish swimming in pairs in the pond. 'And you and I,' he said, 'our reflections have also been
paired like the dragon and phoenix.' The meaning was clear. The dragon symbolized the emperor
and the phoenix represented his mate. Meng Lijun answered, 'Although there are two reflections in
the pool, I only see a dragon. I do not see a phoenix/ The emperor complimented his prime minister
on his appearance and erudition. 'People say that good fortune comes in the springtime. Don't let the
moon shine in an empty cup/ Meng Lijun countered, 'Even if the moon pledges a thousand cups of
wine, I see good fortune as ephemeral as a cloud/ And thus she left the emperor, having at least
officially preserved her disguise. Meng Lijun, now alerted that the emperor had seen through her
disguise, sought help from the emperor's mother. She heard Meng Lijun's story and reinstated her
family. She was now free to admit her identity and marry the young general. The emperor and the
disguised Meng L