What do you think?
Rate this book
The Romance of the Western Bower
Chinese classic Di liu cai zi shu xi xiang ji or The Romance of the Western Bower In Traditional Chinese. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.
401 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 1999
About the author
Wang Shifu
27 books1 followerWang Shifu, (born c. 1250, Dadu [now Beijing], China—died 1337?, China), leading dramatist of the Yuan dynasty (1206–1368), which saw the flowering of Chinese drama.
Of 14 plays attributed to Wang, only three survive, of which Xixiangji (The Story of the Western Wing, also published as The Romance of the Western Chamber) is widely regarded as the best northern play of the period. The work is an amplified zaju (a then-popular theatrical form) containing several of Wang’s innovations—such as giving singing parts to all, instead of only one, of the important characters. Despite the rigid conventions of the stock actor, Wang also succeeded in creating a convincing character in the maid, Hongniang; the dialogue is also excellent. With five acts, the Xixiangji is several times the length of a regular zaju, foreshadowing the chuanqi, the dominant dramatic form of the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1664–1911/12) dynasties.
Of 14 plays attributed to Wang, only three survive, of which Xixiangji (The Story of the Western Wing, also published as The Romance of the Western Chamber) is widely regarded as the best northern play of the period. The work is an amplified zaju (a then-popular theatrical form) containing several of Wang’s innovations—such as giving singing parts to all, instead of only one, of the important characters. Despite the rigid conventions of the stock actor, Wang also succeeded in creating a convincing character in the maid, Hongniang; the dialogue is also excellent. With five acts, the Xixiangji is several times the length of a regular zaju, foreshadowing the chuanqi, the dominant dramatic form of the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1664–1911/12) dynasties.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
No one has reviewed this book yet.