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Water Margin
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Taken Alive |
Taken Alive |
Taken Alive |
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Cai, Qinglin Shi, Jiehua |
Shi, Jiehua |
Cai, Qinglin Shi, Jiehua |
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Taken Alive |
Taken Alive |
Taken Alive |
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Cai, Qinglin Shi, Jiehua |
Cai, Qinglin Shi, Jiehua |
Cai, Qinglin Shi, Jiehua |
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Taken Alive |
Taken Alive |
Taken Alive |
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Cai, Qinglin Shi, Jiehua |
Cai, Qinglin Shi, Jiehua |
Cai, Qinglin Shi, Jiehua |
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Water Margin : Quench the Thirst
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Based on an episode from the Chinese literary masterpiece, Water
Margin -- a novel of sedition and banditry -- by Shi Nai’an
(1296-1370?) of the Yuan dynasty (1280-1368), Quench the Thirst
and Taken Alive embody the three quintessential elements that
make up the high art of the Kunqu drama: long arias with poetic
lyrics, intricate dances and intense drama. Indeed, the play is
a tremendous vocal, physical and emotional challenge for even
the most accomplished Kunqu performers.
Delicate Yan was the bought mistress of a low-ranking municipal
official named Song Jiang. During a violent fight, Yan was
killed by Song after he had found out about her affair with
Song's young disciple, Scholarly Zhang. Adding to Song’s rage
before the killing was her threat to tell the authority Song's
secret liaison with a most-wanted group of valiant rebels
seeking to end the corrupt monarchy. After the murder, Song ran
off to join the rebels at the water margin.
Quench the Thirst, tells poignantly how, driven by sexual
attraction, Yan and Zhang meet by chance and it is love at first
sight. Sensual flirtations between them soon lead to a torrid
affair.
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Water Margin
: Taken Alive
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The scene begins with the despondent but resolute ghost of Yan
Xijiao paying a midnight visit to her still-living lover, Zhang
Wenyuan, who remains a robust philanderer. Frightened at first
upon facing the spirit of his former lover, Zhang's terror soon
gives way to renewed interest as they reminisce about their days
of love. Before long, his lust is rekindled, for Yan Xijiao, be
she ghost or not, is more beautiful now than ever! "Taken Alive"
ends with the two making a lasting union that is as gratifying
to her as it is remarkable for him.
Taken Alive is to a certain extent the Chinese dramatic
counterpart to the Western ballet, Giselle, only without its
romanticism and tenderness. As in the traditional Chinese
society under the influence of the pious and rigorous
Neo-Confucianism the two leads of the play are illicit lovers,
they must be properly condemned and punished, the part of the
young man is portrayed in the role part of clown and the play is
a dark comedy marked by disturbing irony and a sound warning
against random pursuit of carnal pleasure, especially among
unmarried people. Despite the somber theme of the play, which
was often overlooked by the audience for its salacious and
erotic libretto and dance movements, Taken Alive was often
banned from being performed in China during the Ming (1368-1644)
and Qing dynasties (1644-1911) and the first decades of the 20th
century. |
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