Selections from the Five Major Classical Chinese Dramas - Fiction and Drama

Author: Cheng Huaping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
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[Author Introduction] Guan Hanqing is one of the greatest playwrights in the history of Chinese opera. He wrote over sixty zaju plays in his lifetime, and about eighteen of them have been passed down to this day, making significant contributions to the perfection and prosperity of Yuan zaju art. Very little is recorded in ancient literature about Guan Hanqing's life. In the Lugu Bie, Zhong Sicheng of the Yuan Dynasty wrote: "Guan Hanqing, from Dadu (now Beijing), served as an official in the Imperial Medical College and was known as Yizhai Susou." Hanqing was the courtesy name of Guan, and his given name is unknown. Xiong Zide's Xijin Zhi·Famous Officials Biography of the Yuan Dynasty stated: "Guan Yizhai, courtesy name Hanqing." "Yizhai" was his pseudonym. There are different records about Guan Hanqing's origin. The Lugu Bie said he was from Dadu, while Xijin Zhi said he was a native of Yan, which was part of Dadu. The Qing Dynasty's Qizhou Zhi recorded that Guan Hanqing was from Wuren Village in Qizhou, i.e., today's Anguo City, Hebei. This area was under the jurisdiction of the Zhongshu Sheng during the Yuan Dynasty, which was also part of Dadu. The Qing Dynasty's Yuan Shi Leibian by Shao Yuanping said he was from Jiezhou (now part of Shanxi). Some speculated that Guan Hanqing was a descendant of Guan Yu, a famous general from the Three Kingdoms period, originally from Jiezhou, who later moved to Qizhou and finally settled in Dadu. This claim lacks historical evidence and seems speculative. The Lugu Bie described Guan Hanqing as a "Yaiyuan" of the Imperial Medical College, but there was no such position in Yuan Dynasty official ranks. Modern scholars discovered from the Ming-era Shuo Ji copy of the Lugu Bie that the character "Yai" should have been "Hu." The "Taiyiyuan Hu" in the Yuan Dynasty was a special household status that enjoyed exemptions from some corvée duties and taxes, likely affiliated with the Imperial Medical College that served the imperial family. Guan Hanqing was roughly born around 1230 during the Zhengda period of the Jin Dynasty and died around 1320 during the Yanhu period of the Renzong Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty. The Yuan Dynasty's Xia Tingzhi's Qinglou Ji described Guan Hanqing as a Jin Dynasty refugee, while Yang Weizhen's Yuan Gong Ci included the line "Great Jin's advisor Guan Qing is present," but it is generally believed that this "Guan Qing" was not Guan Hanqing. Due to decades without the imperial examination system during the Yuan Dynasty, which blocked official career paths, and severe ethnic discrimination policies, most Han Chinese intellectuals fell into the lower strata of society. Guan Hanqing was a versatile individual who, for survival, immersed himself in the Wazi and Guelan entertainment districts. In the Nanluo Yizhifua Bu Fulu set, he described himself as "skilled in poetry, calligraphy, playing musical instruments, and appreciating bamboo; skilled in singing magpie songs, dancing with hanging hands, playing archery games, playing cuju, playing Go, and playing Shuanglu." He vividly depicted his carefree life in the entertainment districts, though it carried unhealthy tendencies of indulging in wine and pleasure, it more reflected his cynical sentiments, resilient character, and resistance to society. During the early Yuan Dynasty, when sanqu and zaju flourished, many talented scholars turned to the urban masses and merged with performers, becoming "shuhui caiten" who wrote zaju plays and lyrics. Guan Hanqing was one of the most representative and leading figures among them.
[Play Interpretation] The full title of Dou E Yuanshen is Gan Tian Dong Di Dou E Yuanshen, consisting of four acts and one prologue. Before the plot unfolds, Guan Hanqing introduces the story in the Prologue. The text reads:
[The prologue]
"He has read countless volumes of ancient books,
Poor Ma Xiangru, what a pity!
One day in the Han court, he received an imperial summons,
Not talking about serving wine, but reciting Zixu."
The young scholar's surname is Dou, named Tianzhang,
His ancestral home is Chang'an and Jingzhao."