The Story of the West Chamber


A Sweet Rendezvous	A Sweet Rendezvous		A Sweet Rendezvous
Huang, Zhenying	Huang, Zhenying		Liang, Guyin Yang, Ling Wang, Taiqi


A Sweet Rendezvous	A Sweet Rendezvous		A Sweet Rendezvous
Liang, Guyin Yang, Ling	Liang, Guyin		Liang, Guyin


A Sweet Rendezvous	A Sweet Rendezvous		A Sweet Rendezvous
Liang, Guyin Yang, Ling Wang, Taiqi	Liang, Guyin Yang, Ling		Liang, Guyin Yang, Ling


A Sweet Rendezvous	A Sweet Rendezvous
Le, Yiping	Le, Yiping

The Story of the West Chamber : A Sweet Rendezvous
The central conflict of pitting free love between two young lovers against the forces of conventional morality that rules the high society in the ancient feudal society of China marks the quintessential spirit of Love in the Western Chamber, one of the most praised and renowned dramas in the Chinese theater. The dramatic lyrics in superb poetry are the towering literary achievement of Wang Shifu (circa 13th century), who based his poetic play on two different versions of the stories by two other writers. While one of the version depicts the frivolous nature of love, as how it is reflected in how Master Zhang, a young enamored scholar, falls in love with and seduces Cui Yingying, daughter of the Grand Councilor, and then abandons her after their secret affair; another version tells how the two lovers marry and live happy ever after -- both of which elaborate on the nature of passion. Interestingly though, whether consciously or not on the part of Wang Shifu, as dramatically as their love blossoms, Love in the Western Chamber, one of the most popular Kunqu plays, also demonstrates affectation and artificiality, even in matters of the heart, among people of the upper class in China. A highlight scene from The Story of the Western Chamber, A Sweet Rendezvous tells the tale of Princely Zhang, a young unmarried scholar staying at a monastery where he came across Oriole Cui, the maiden daughter of a grand councilor, whom he fell head over heel in love with. But a date or even a simple conversation between the two would be out of the question, because of the rigorous Confucian thoughts that ruled the society, in which relationship between a man and a woman could only be established as an arranged marriage. Thanks to Pinkie, the spirited and precocious maid of Oriole, the two lovers, after much yearning, had a sweet rendezvous and consummated their passion for each other. As the two were having their first taste of love in his study, Pinkie was left all alone outside to contemplate on a union of ecstasy between the young mistress and her suitor.


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The Story of the West Chamber

The Story of the West Chamber : A Sweet Rendezvous