A Selection of Chinese Opera (Volume 1, 2, 3)

Author: Chief Editor: Wang Qi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-04-01
Features: Excerpt: Anonymous "The Story of Zhang Xie as" (Title Explanation) "The Story of Zhang Xie as" is one of the three existing plays in the Yongle Dadian. The play states: "The Jiushan Book Club has recently been active, bringing a unique flavor." Jiushan is a place name in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. It is estimated that this play is a manuscript of early Southern Opera that circulated in Wenzhou. The plot summary is as follows: Zhang Xie goes to the capital to take the imperial examination and is injured by bandits on Wujig Mountain. He seeks shelter in an ancient temple and is taken in by a poor woman, who marries him in the temple. After the marriage, Zhang Xie still goes to the capital to take the examination and becomes a. Wang Decai, the Imperial Secretary, wants his daughter, Shenghua, to marry Zhang Xie, but Zhang Xie refuses. Shenghua becomes depressed and dies. The poor woman learns that Zhang Xie has become a and goes to the capital to find him. However, Zhang Xie turns his back on her and she returns to Wujig Mountain. Later, Zhang Xie is appointed as an official in Zizhou. On his way, he encounters the poor woman and stabs her with a sword. Fortunately, she is saved. Later, Wang Decai is also appointed as an official in Zizhou and recognizes the poor woman as his adopted daughter in the ancient temple. Wang Decai goes to Zizhou with the intention of becoming Zhang Xie's superior to avenge the rejected marriage. When Zhang Xie expresses his willingness to marry his daughter, Wang Decai marries the poor woman to him.
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, Wenzhou was culturally quite backward, and only two scholars passed the imperial examinations throughout the Tang Dynasty. In the Southern Song Dynasty, when the capital was moved to Lin'an, Wenzhou became an important economic center and port for overseas trade. With the development of industry and commerce, culture flourished, and over a thousand scholars passed the imperial examinations throughout the Southern Song Dynasty. Many of them, driven by greed for fame and fortune, abandoned their former wives and married into high-ranking aristocratic families. This caused strong resentment among the general public. Wang Kui and Cai Boqie in early Southern Opera from Wenzhou are typical figures of this kind.
At the beginning of "The Story of Zhang Xie as," the actor sings: "The Story of Zhang Xie as" was performed in the previous episode. You all have adapted it." This shows that the current manuscript is an adaptation of "The Story of Zhang Xie as." According to Shen Jing's "Southern Nine Palace Thirteen Tune Opera Spectrum," the lost Yuan Dynasty song "Shua 0zi Xun" includes the line "Zhang Xie achieves honor but forgets his initial thoughts for the poor woman," associating Zhang Xie with unfaithful scholars like Wang Kui and Li Mian. According to the lost song in "Cui Junrui and the Snowy Evening on the River," it states, "The unfaithful ones are Zhang Xie and Li Mian, but in the end, they cannot escape the heavens. Heaven, in an instant, brings them to ruin." This shows that the original "The Story of Zhang Xie as" was similar to plays like "Wang Kui Betrays Guiying" and "Li Mian's Three Betrayals," exposing the evils of the feudal ruling class through the criticism of unfaithful scholars.
However, the current "The Story of Zhang Xie as," like the brilliant "The Story of the Pipa," was adapted to counter the influence of "The Story of Zhang Xie as" and change its tragic ending. But the adapter, who made bold promises at the beginning, is far inferior to Gao Ming in terms of writing skills. Not only does the entire play have contradictory plot points, but the lyrics and spoken parts are also quite rough. We have selected one of the better scenes to give readers a glimpse of the early state of Southern Opera. In terms of annotations and textual criticism, we have drawn on the achievements of Mr. Qian Nanyang's "Annotations of the Three Plays in the Yongle Dadian Opera." This is explained below.
Act 35: Zhang Xie Refuses to See the Poor Woman (The actor and the clown enter as door attendants [1] and sing)
[Zhao Pishoe]
Theis truly talented,
Thefacing both doors opens wide.
You still don’t know how to read,
The people still await you,
Don’t come.
(The actor speaks)
Compassion does not govern war,
Righteousness does not govern wealth.
The’s order: Only court officials and officials may enter.
Other villagers, outsiders, and women are not allowed.