Xiqu

“The Page Boy’s Tease”
This is a one-act playlet from the traditional repertory of the Xiaoliyuan stream. Some attribute it to an unrecorded work in the themed repertory of The Butterfly Lovers. It contains a lot of dancing movements and incidental music, and retains elements of raditional
theatre from the Tang Dynasty. In this play, instead of telling the all too familiar story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, it takes the angle of Liang’s page boy and Yingtai’s maid in a witty, comical tête-a-tête, thus giving the original tragedy a comic side.

“Making a Dress for Her Mother-in-Law from Zhu Bian”
This is taken from the traditional repertory of Xiaoliyuan plays, performed by two actors in dadan (principal female) and laotie (old woman) roles. The genuine concern between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has touched many hearts, so the play is a popular
piece which leads to the saying, “A daughter-in-law should be like Zhu Bian’s wife, and a mother-in-law should be like Zhu Bian’s mother.” The story takes place in early Southern Song period. Zhu Bian is an envoy of the Song court to the Jin’s in the north, where he is retained for sixteen years. His wife, née Wang, remains a filial daughter-in-law and takes good care of his mother, so much so that during a military mutiny, she gives up her son to get her mother-in-law out of harm’s way. On a cold winter night, Wang is tailoring a new gown for her motherin-law as birthday present. The two women think of the sons they miss and shed tears together.

“Shipeng’s Guess from Wang Shipeng”
Wang Shipeng is a traditional play in the Shanglu stream, and the story is based on one of the four representative works in Southern Opera of the Song period, The Wooden Hairpin. It is considered a valuable work in the archives of Liyuan Opera. Through the music
and formulaic presentation, this excerpt demonstrates how “guessing” can reveal the psychological drama in characters. It is also a challenge for actors in guansheng (male official) roles in this genre. The story takes place during the Southern Song period. Wang hipeng has come top in the civil examination. He writes home to tell his family the happy news and waits for his wife and his mother to come to the capital to join him. What he does not know is that his letter has been changed, and it becomes a divorce letter for his wife. She is so devastated and shamed that she throws herself into the river. When Wang’s mother, accompanied by his brother-in-law, arrives in the capital without his wife, Wang gets suspicious and insists on getting to the bottom of the truth. He only succeeds after a lot of guessing, questioning and probing.