Tragedy of the Emperor's Daughter

Tragedy of the Emperor's Daughter

Play Script

It is a Chinese fictional story about Princess Changping of Ming Dynasty and her husband/lover Zhou Shixian. First (original) version was a Kunqu script written in Qing Dynasty while the second version was a first Cantonese opera from early 1900s later found in Japan and Shanghai. Little information is available from this early 1900s version. The contemporary popular version, not meant to be historically accurate, comes from the second Cantonese opera script. They meet and get engaged, with the blessing of parents. Her father, the emperor, is overthrown by revolutionists. She hides as a nun in a monastery but meets Zhou again. Being found by the new regime, she follows Zhou's plan to commit suicide eventually. Zhou formulates a plan to make sure the late emperor, her father, properly buried while her little brother released to safety. Zhou alone returns to negotiate with the new regime using the bargaining power vested in him by a written request from her. Once the new regime makes good on these promises, the couple return to her former home for a wedding ceremony. They take poison at wedding night in the palace garden where they are introduced to each other as potential marriage candidate on day one.

Wong Sit Ching

unknown

1957

Tong Tik Sang

Chinese

Text

tragedyoftheemperorsdaughter1957