Dou E Yuan is one of China's top ten tragedies. It is a famous drama with high cultural value and broad mass base. Dou Eyuan is the representative work of Guan Hanqing and China's ancient tragedy. Its story originated from "Donghai Filial Piety to His Wife" in Biography of Lienv. Guan Hanqing, however, is not confined to this traditional story, praising the public's virtue of filial piety for his wife in the East China Sea to rehabilitate unjust imprisonment; But firmly grasped the social reality at that time. Through this story, we truly and profoundly reflect the extremely dark, cruel and chaotic tragic times of China society under the rule of Yuan and Meng, and show the indomitable fighting spirit of the people of China and their strong demand for independent survival. It successfully shaped the tragic hero image of Dou E, making it a representative of oppressed, exploited and injured women in Yuan Dynasty, and a typical kind, strong and rebellious woman at the bottom of Yuan Dynasty society.
The full name of The West Chamber is Cui Yingying's The West Chamber. Author Wang Shifu, a famous zaju writer in Yuan Dynasty, was mostly from Beijing. He wrote 14 kinds of plays in his life. The Romance of the West Chamber was written in the years of Yuan Zhen and Dade (1295- 1307), which is his masterpiece. As soon as the play came to power, it stunned four seats and won the love of young men and women. It is known as "The West Chamber is the best in the world". The Romance of the West Chamber originated from Yuan Zhen's legendary novel Yingying Biography in Tang Dynasty. It tells the story that Zhang Xun, a scholar, fell in love with Cui Yingying, the daughter of the late Guo Xiang, who also lived in Pujiu Temple. With the help of the maid matchmaker, they dated in the west wing, and Yingying finally committed herself. Later, Zhang Xun went to Beijing to take the exam, got a senior official, but abandoned Yingying, which led to a love tragedy. This story spread more widely in the Song and Jin Dynasties, and some literati and folk artists adapted it into songs and operas. Many of Wang Shifu's zaju Romance of the West Chamber are processed and created on the basis of such rich artistic accumulation.
Peony Pavilion is one of the representative works of Tang Xianzu, a playwright in Ming Dynasty. The 55-volume book tells the love story of Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei. It is also called "Linchuan Four Dreams" together with Purple Hairpin, Conan and Handan. The original name of the play is The Story of Resurrection, which was written in 1598. The Peony Pavilion is Tang Xianzu's most famous play, which has reached the highest level of his creation in both thought and art. When it was published, it surpassed another ancient love novel, The West Chamber. According to records, the Peony Pavilion was published and passed down from generation to generation. Once the play was staged in ancient China, where the feudal ethics system was strict, it was welcomed by the people, especially the repressed women. It is recorded that a young girl was deeply moved after watching her play, so that she "died of regret". An actress in Hangzhou was emotional when she performed a play "Seeking Dreams" and died on the stage. The love story between Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei embodies the young men and women's pursuit of free love life, and shows the ideological tendency of demanding personality liberation. The tendency of emancipating the mind with individuality in Peony Pavilion has far-reaching influence.
The Palace of Immortality is a play written by Hong Sheng (1645- 1704) in the early Qing Dynasty. It is based on the long poem Song of Eternal Sorrow written by Bai Juyi in Tang Dynasty and Wu Tongyu written by Bai Pu in Yuan Dynasty. It tells the love story of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and the imperial concubine Yang Yuhuan. The Palace of Eternal Life focuses on the fatuity of the emperor in Tianbao period of Tang Dynasty. Although the script condemned the extravagance and waste of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, it also showed sympathy for the love between Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and Yang Yuhuan, indirectly expressed sympathy for the rule of the Ming Dynasty, and entrusted the ideal of beautiful love.
The four tragedies of Yuan Zaju are Dou Eyuan by Guan Hanqing, Autumn in Han Palace by Ma Zhiyuan, Wu Tongyu by Bai Pu and The Orphan of Zhao by Ji.
Guan Hanqing's Dou Eyuan is based on the folk story of "filial piety in the East China Sea" handed down from the Han Dynasty. Guan Hanqing combined his own experience in real life and wrote it carefully. The full name of "Dou Eyuan" is "Dou Eyuan". It truly and profoundly reflected the social reality at that time through the story of Dou E's unjust death. The story goes like this: Dou, a poor Confucian scholar in Chuzhou, had no money to go to Beijing to take the exam, so he had to sell his little daughter to the Cai family as a child bride. Dou E's husband died after marriage, and her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law lived together. When Cai Po went out to collect debts, she met the rogue Zhang Lver and his son and was threatened by them. Zhang Donkey tried to occupy it, but when she didn't obey, she tried to poison Cai Po for blackmail, only to kill her father by mistake. Zhang Maolv falsely accused of murder, and the government tortured her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Dou E was beheaded to prevent Cai Po from confessing to murder. When Dou E was executed, she swore by heaven that after her death, she shed white silk with blood, snowed in June and suffered from drought for three years, in order to clear her grievances. Then it really came true. Three years later, Dou was appointed as an envoy to Chuzhou, and saw the ghost of Dou E appear, so he retried the case and rehabilitated Dou E.
Ma Zhiyuan's Autumn in the Han Palace tells the story that the Yuan Emperor of the Western Han Dynasty was threatened by Xiongnu and forced to send his beloved Princess Wang Zhaojun to the fortress to get married. The full name of Autumn in the Palace of Han Dynasty is Autumn in the Palace of Han Dynasty. As the harem was lonely, Emperor Han Yuan took Mao Yanshou's advice and asked him to take part in a folk beauty contest. Wang Zhaojun was extremely beautiful, but because he refused to bribe Mao Yanshou, he put a flaw in the beauty painting, so he was left alone after entering the palace. Emperor Han Yuan accidentally heard Zhaojun play the pipa in the middle of the night, admired her beauty and made her a princess, so he wanted to behead Mao Yanshou. Mao Yanshou fled to Xiongnu, gave Uhaanyehe the portrait of Zhaojun, and asked him to ask Hanwang for Zhaojun as his wife. Yuan Di didn't want to give up Zhaojun, but Manchu civil servants were timid and selfish, unable to resist the Xiongnu army. Zhaojun volunteered to avoid the sword, and Yuan Di reluctantly saw him off. Khan was overjoyed when he got Zhaojun and led his troops north. Zhao Jun did not give up his old country and drowned in Heilongjiang at the junction of Han and Fan. Khan sent Mao Yanshou back to the Han Dynasty for treatment in order to avoid making trouble in the Han Dynasty. Emperor Yuan of Han Dynasty woke up with a dream of Zhaojun at night, and heard the lonely goose wailing, so he was in pain. In memory of Zhaojun, he beheaded Mao Yanshou.
The full name of Bai Pu's Wu Tongyu is Wu Tongyu on an Autumn Night in Huang Ming. Described the love story between Tang and Yang Guifei. The play is based on Chen Hong's legendary novel Song of Eternal Sorrow and Bai Juyi's poem Song of Eternal Sorrow, and its name also comes from the poem "Peach and plum blossom, spring breeze blows, autumn rain falls." . The plot is that An Lushan once failed to complete the military order, and your envoy Zhang Shougui wanted to behead him, cherish his bravery and take him to Beijing to apologize. Prime Minister Zhang Jiuling asked Ming Chengzu to kill An Lushan, but Ming Chengzu refused to obey and summoned officials instead. At this time, the imperial concubine was in favor and was ordered by Ming Chengzu to accept An Lushan as his adopted son and give him money to wash his son. Later, due to disagreement with Yang, An Lushan went to Beijing to take office. On July 7th, the imperial concubine and Ming Chengzu gave a banquet in the Palace of Eternal Life. Ming Chengzu presented the golden hairpin box to the imperial concubine. When drinking wine, the two deeply felt the firmness of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, and swore to the stars that they were married from then on. The good times didn't last long. In the fourteenth year of Tianbao, the imperial concubine was tasting her favorite litchi. When the news of the Anshi Rebellion came, Ming Chengzu and the imperial concubine rushed into Shu. When they were stationed at Mayi post, there was a riot in the army. Chen Yuanli, the general of Longwu, asked Ming Chengzu to punish Yang, who brought disaster to the country and people, and Ming Chengzu did as he said. But the army still refused to move forward, and Chen Yuanli asked Yang Guifei, who charmed the king, to punish him. Ming Chengzu was helpless, so Gao Lishi took Yang Guifei to the Buddhist temple and asked her to commit suicide. This appeased the army and protected Ming Chengzu from fleeing. After Su Zong recovered Kyoto, Emperor Tai Shang (Ming Taizu) lived in Nishinomiya, hung with a statue of the imperial concubine, facing it day and night, never forgetting it. One night, Ming Taizu visited the imperial concubine in her dream, but was awakened by the rain of phoenix trees. He recalled the scene of love with the imperial concubine and was extremely disappointed. The whole drama revolves around the love between Li and Yang, reflecting the important historical event of An Shi Rebellion and the process of Tang Dynasty's prosperity and decline.
The full name of Ji's Orphan of Zhao is Revenge for Orphan of Zhao or Revenge for Orphan of Zhao. In Jin Linggong, Tu'an Gu, a military attache, was at odds with Zhao Dun, a civil servant, and framed Zhao Dun, accusing Zhao Dun of being a traitor in front of Gong Ling. More than 300 people in Zhao Dun's family were cut down, and only his son Zhao Shuo and the princess survived. Later, Tu'an Gu ordered Zhao Shuo to commit suicide from Gong Ling. The princess was imprisoned in the mansion, gave birth to a son, entrusted to Cheng Ying, a guest of the Zhao family, and hanged herself. Put the baby in the medicine box, guard the general, Han Biao, sympathized with the Zhao family, released the orphan and committed suicide. Cheng Ying took the baby to Gongsun Chujiu, an old friend of Zhao Dun. At this time, Tu'an Gu was eager to uproot the grass. In order to find out the orphans, he gave a false order to kill all babies under half a year old and over one month old. After consulting with Gongsun, he decided to save Zhao's blood with his own son. Later, Cheng Ying reported to Tu'an Gu that Gongsun Chujiu had hidden the orphan of Zhao. Tu'an Gu believed it, sent someone to find the baby, threw it on the ground and stabbed several swords. When Cheng Ying saw his parents' tragic death, he said nothing reluctantly. Gongsun Chujiu cursed Tu'an Gu, touched the steps and died. Tu'an Gu was very worried, so he took Cheng Ying as his guest and his son Cheng Bo (actually an orphan of Scott) as his adopted son, and named him Tu Cheng. Twenty years later, when the orphan Zhao grew up, he told the truth. Zhao's orphan was filled with indignation and determined to avenge himself. At this time, he is dead and Aigong is in office. Cheng Bo and Tu'an Gu were rampant in authority, and made it clear that he had hurt Zhongliang. Aigong ordered him to catch him and put him to death. The Zhao family took revenge, and the orphan Zhao Fu took his surname and gave it a name.