China

The Peony Pavilion

Tang Xianzu

Paolo M. Apostol II- St. Faustina Kowalska Ms. Bernados

I.

Background of Chinese Literature

Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese. The introduction of widespread woodblock printing during the Tang Dynasty (618907) and the invention of movable type printing by Bi Sheng (9901051) during the Song Dynasty (9601279) rapidly spread written knowledge throughout China. In more modern times, the author Lu Xun (18811936) is considered the founder of baihua literature in China.

History
The history of Chinese literature begins with the Shih Ching or Book of Songs, an anthology of 305 lyrics of various types, compiled ca. 600 B. C. Most of the songs probably were composed and sung between 1000 and 700 B. C., mostly at Chou court ceremonies (and thus provide a cross-section of early-Chou culture). Some Sinologists have suggested, however, that certain lyrics from the Book of Songs may represent much earlier work, dating from the Shang dynasty (as early as ca. 1700 B. C.). Written Chinese emerged in its embryonic form of carved symbols approximately 6,000 years ago. The Chinese characters used today evolved from those used in bone and tortoise shell inscriptions more than 3,000 years ago and the bronze inscriptions produced soon after. Chinese literature extends back thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novel that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese. The introduction of widespread woodblock printing during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the invention of movable type printing by Bi Sheng (990-1051) during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) rapidly spread written knowledge throughout China like never before. In more modern times, the author Lu Xun (1881-1936) would be considered the founder of modern baihua literature in China.

Classical Texts
There is a wealth of early Chinese literature dating from the Hundred Schools of Thought that occurred during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BCE). The most important of these include the Classics of Confucianism, of Daoism, of Mohism, of Legalism, as well as works of military science and Chinese history.

Classical Poetry
Among the earliest and most influential poetic anthologies was the Chuci (Songs of Chu), made up primarily of poems ascribed to the semi-legendary Qu Yuan (c. 340-278 BCE) and his follower Song Yu (4th century BCE). The songs in this collection are lyrical and romantic and represent a different tradition from the earlier Shijing. During the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-CE 220), this form evolved into the fu , a poem usually in rhymed verse except for introductory and concluding passages that are in prose, often in the form of questions and answers.

Early Prose
Early Chinese prose was deeply influenced by the great philosophical writings of the Hundred Schools of Thought (770-221 BCE). The works of Mo Zi, Mencius and Zhuang Zi contain well-

reasoned, carefully developed discourses that reveal much stronger organization and style than their predecessors. Mencius contributed elegant diction and, like Zhuang Zi, relied on comparisons, anecdotes, and allegories. By the 3rd century BCE, these writers had developed a simple, concise and economical prose style that served as a model of literary form for over 2,000 years.

Later Prose
During the Tang period, the ornate, artificial style of prose developed in previous periods was replace by a simple, direct, and forceful prose based on examples from the Hundred Schools and from the Han period, the period in which the great historical works of Sima Tan and Sima Qian were published. This neoclassical style dominated prose writing for the next 800 years. It was exemplified in the work of Han Yu (768824).

II. Authors Background

Tang Xianzu (September 24, 1550 July 29, 1616), courtesy name Yireng, was a Chinese playwright of the Ming Dynasty. Tang was a native of Linchuan, Jiangxi and his career as an official consisted principally of low-level positions. He successfully participated in the Provincial examinations at the age of 21 and at the imperial examinations at the age of 34. He held official positions in Nanjing, Zhejiang province, Guangdong province etc. He retired in 1598 and returned to his hometown where he focused on writing. His major plays are collectively called the Four Dreams, because of the decisive role dreams play in the plot of each one. All of them are still performed (in scenes or in adapted full versions) on the Chinese Kun opera stage. Generally considered his masterpiece, the Mudan Ting is one of two of his works available in print in English, the other being Nanke Ji.

Literary Works
y y y y y

The Purple Flute The Purple Hairpin The Peony Pavilion Record of Handan Record of Southern Bough

After retiring in 1598, he wrote some of his best plays. His first work, Zixiao ji [The purple flute], proved to be an enormous success, and his follow-up to it, Zichai ji [The purple hairpin] was a recasting of the same basic story. The Peony Pavilion, the intricate story of the love of Du Liniang and the scholar Liu Mengmei, features an intricate plot that includes the return to the land of the living of its heroine from the netherworld. The play demonstrates its author's belief in the powers of emotion over reason, makes use of many symbolic devices, and reveals an exuberant word-play. Two last plays, Handan ji [Record of Handan] and Nanke ji [Record of Southern Bough], are testimony to a change in outlook, with Tang shifting to a more contemplative and philosophical view of existence.

III. Settings

It was happened on the last days of the Southern Song Dynasty, on a fine spring season. It was happened in southern part of China.

IV. Characters

Two major characters of the Peony Pavillion: Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei

Du Liniang is a fictional character from Tang Xianzu's play The Peony Pavilion. "Du" is her last name, "Li" means beautiful, and "Niang", girl. Only sixteen years old, she encounters a dream lover Liu Mengmei when she falls asleep in a long-abandoned garden. Overcome by lovesickness, she wastes away and dies, only to be brought back to life. She haunts Liu Mengmei, who now lives in the garden, until he promises to exhume her. She is resurrected and joined in marriage with Liu. Today, Du Liniang is most often seen on the Kunqu stage, where her role is the best-loved of the guimendan role types. Famous interpreters of the role have included Mei Lanfang, Zhang Jiqing and Jennifer Hua Wenyi.

Liu Mengmei is the main fictionalized character within Tang Xianzu's play The Peony Pavilion, "Liu" meaning 'willow' and "Mengmei" 'dream of plum'. Mengmei was a descendant to the reputed poet Liu Zongyuan, Prefect of Liuzhou during the Tang Dynasty period, and would be born into a family branch present within the District of Longnan. His father respectively held the title of Doctorat-Large; his mother: Lady of the County. Having been orphaned at an early age and taken into the care of a gardener by the name of Camelback Guo, Mengmei rose from his place of residence by midadulthood, resolved to reach the capital prefecture of Guangzhou and complete the secondary examinations for political office. Two weeks prior to this resolution he experienced a dream in which had been present a woman of beautiful appearance standing beneath a flowering plum; this woman informed him that it is a credential for her to reach his side in love if his political aspirations are to be guaranteed with ultimate success. Subsequently, Mengmei chose to head to the Terrace of Prince Zhao Tao to see his friend Han Zicai, descendant of Han Yu, for the sake of discussing the course of his pilgrimage.

Other Characters
y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y

Miao Shun Bin Du Bao Chun Xiang Wu Da Hai Han Zi Cai Aunt Shi Dao Zhen Shi Chui Hong Li Quan Wu Yi Nan Grandmother Yang Lai Tou Yuan Chen Zui Liang Yang Gang Xu Guan Jia Bai Wu Chang Hua Lang Guo Tuo Aunt Xiao Dao Guo Qi Cao Tong Song Gao Zong Wan Yan Liang Zui Dao Ren Lady Han Hu Pan Guan Peony Fairy Empress Miao Xiu Yuan

V. Theme
"From passion, a dream was born, and that dream has turned into a play." Tang Xianzu (1550-1616), Author of the Peony Pavilion

A young woman has a passionate dream about a mysterious stranger and she begins to develop a deep longing for this handsome lover. So begins the extraordinary love story, The Peony Pavilion. Written during the Ming dynasty by Tang Xianzu and considered a Chinese national treasure, The Peony Pavilion focuses on love, beauty, relationship, and marriage. This powerful story continues to resonate with audience everywhere, even in this modern day and age. Although widely accepted by modern audiences, this moving, love-conquers-all story was very controversial when originally published, because of its views on women, sex, and marriage. At a time when women were submissive, the chief protagonist Du Liniang is a strong woman who actively pursues the man she loves. In a culture given to conservative views about sex and sexual relations, the story is interwoven with emotional feelings such as strong sexual desire and various sexual undertones. During a time when arranged marriages had been the norm for thousands of years, this story then concludes with a marriage that is forged by love. The writer Tang Xianzu lived during the same time as William Shakespeare, and given the strong theme of love, it is no surprise that Tang's The Peony Pavilion is often compared to Romeo and Juliet. Like Shakespeare's tragic love story, The Peony Pavilion has endured as a timeless tale for generations to enjoy.

VI. Type of Drama

Tragedy
Tragedy is one of the oldest forms of drama; however, its meaning has changed since the earliest days of staged plays. In ancient times, a tragedy was often an historical drama featuring the downfall of a great man. In modern theater, the definition is a bit looser. Tragedy usually involves serious subject matter and the death of one or more main characters. These plays rarely have a happy ending.

Comparison of the Peony Pavilion to other Drama

The Peony Pavilion and Romeo and Juliet are two extraordinary canonical works about feverish love on the international stage of drama. The Peony Pavilion was written in 1598 by the famous Chinese dramatist Tang Xianzu of the Ming Dynasty. It has been referred to by some critics as the Chinese version of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, which was written just two years earlier in 1596. Tang Xianzu (1550-1617) and William Shakespeare (1564-1616), were contemporaries living in vastly different cultures. In the two works under study in this paper, the shared theme of the hero and the heroine pursuing genuine love relentlessly, even to the sacrifice of death, forms a very interesting perspective from which we can consider the way in which dying for love is presented in two significant works of Western and Eastern drama. The two texts both illustrate the universal subject of love. Both dramas depict the fervent love and burning passion of a young couple. Both texts explore the relationship between love and death and the valuable meaning created by lovers dying for love. In these two works death turns out to be the sacrifice required as the remedy for lovers who cannot have their beloved.

VS.

VII. Plot
The performance tradition has focused on the love story between Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei, but also contains subplots pertaining to the falling Song Dynasty's defense against the aggression of the Jin Dynasty. It is the last days of the Southern Song Dynasty. On a fine spring day, a maid persuades Du Liniang, the sixteen year old daughter of an important official, Du Bao, to take a walk in the garden, where she falls asleep. In Du Liniang's dream she encounters a young scholar, identified later in the play as Liu Mengmei, whom in real life she has never met. Liu's bold advances starts off a flaming romance between the two and it flourishes rapidly. Du Liniang's dream is interrupted by a flower petal falling on her, according to her soliloquy recounting the incident in a later act: (Reflection on the lost dream). Du Liniang, however, becomes preoccupied with her dream affair and her lovesickness quickly consumes her. Unable to recover from her fixation, Du Liniang wastes away and dies. The president of the underworld adjudicates that a marriage between Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei is predestined and Du Liniang ought to return to the earthly world. Du Liniang appears to Liu Mengmei in his dreams. He now inhabits the same garden where Du Liniang had her fatal dream. Once recognising that Du Bao's deceased daughter is the lady who appears in his dreams, Liu agrees to exhume her upon her request and Du Liniang is brought back to life. Liu visits Du Bao and informs him of his daughter's resurrection. However, Liu is imprisoned for being a grave robber and an impostor. The ending of the play follows the formula of many Chinese comedies. Liu Mengmei narrowly escapes death by torture thanks to the arrival of the results of the imperial examination in which Liu has topped the list. The emperor pardons all.