Ming Min Qi Ji drew and carved the colorful illustrations of the West Chamber Records Ming He Bi the West Chamber Records

Author: Wang Shifu of the Yuan Dynasty
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-03-01
Features: Wang Shifu's Romance of the West Chamber is one of the most widely circulated and influential literary masterpieces in Yuan Dynasty zaju (a form of traditional Chinese opera). The Ming Dynasty scholar Jia Zhongming praised it as "A New Zaju, an Old Legend, Romance of the West Chamber Reigns Supreme in the World." During the Ming and Qing dynasties, countless commentaries and editions were produced, with notable figures including Xu Shifan, Wang Jide, Xu Wenlang, Min Qijie, Ling Mengchu, Jin Shengtan, Mao Qiling, and Li Yu. Currently, no original Yuan Dynasty edition of Romance of the West Chamber survives, but over sixty Ming Dynasty editions exist, mostly published after the Wanli era. Among them, the Ling Mengchu edition and the Jin Shengtan-collated Six Great Masters' Book of Romance of the West Chamber are the most popular. Li Yu of the Qing Dynasty remarked, "Jin Shengtan's annotations treat Romance of the West Chamber as a literary work for scholars, not as a play performed by actors." He also noted, "Jin Shengtan's annotations are a play for scholars to appreciate, not a play for actors to perform." He Bei, a Ming Dynasty scholar from Fuzhou, Fujian, styled himself Yu Chang. In his youth, he lived a carefree life, indulging in wine and gambling. Later, he immersed himself in the literary works of Wang Ruojia, a scholar of high moral standing, and became proficient in poetry and prose. During his travels in Huizhou, he was invited as a guest by Zhang Tao, the local magistrate, and accompanied him to establish a residence in Liaodong. In the 44th year of the Wanli era, He Bei edited and published Romance of the West Chamber, criticizing the Shizhangfang editions as "performers' scripts" and noting that they "used annotations and made criticisms." He revised the text, removed annotations, and omitted appendices, believing that "those who truly understand will have their own insights" and that "those who open the book will find it even clearer." He aimed to elevate Romance of the West Chamber from popular literature to the realm of pure literature, placing it alongside "exquisite prose and poetry in the libraries of scholars and officials."