牡丹亭-The Peony Pavilion


The Suzhou Kun Opera Theater of Jiangsu Province was established in 1956. Since then, It has worked to salvage, uphold, and develop the classical art form over the course of the years. The company has also made highly successful performing tours to Italy, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Scene 1 - Enlightening the Daughter
	The scene opens with Du Bao, the governor of Nan'an in the southern part of China , conversing at leisure with his wife, Madame Du. He is thinking of engaging a tutor for their only daughter, Du Liniang. If, on top of her feminine virtues, she is able to converse learnedly with her prospective husband, this will reflect well on her parents. Du Liniang enters with wine, offering a toast to her parents on this beautiful spring day. She exclaims that the birds' chirping seem to verge on human utterance. Instead of being amused, Du Bao scolds her for taking a nap when she should have been reading a book. He decides she needs a stern teacher to guide her. A contrast is made between society's need for formal order, symbolized by the father, and nature's innate rhythms, expressed in the daughter's urge to celebrate spring. In this production, the oversized hanging scrolls stand in for furnishings typically found in upper-class homes.
Scene 2 - The Classroom
Du Liniang's personal maid, Chunxiang (“Spring Fragrance”), is her study companion. The tutor Chen Zuiliang tries to teach the girls the first poem of the Book of Songs an ancient love poem that Confucian tradition construes as a piece on feminine virtue. When Chunxiang challenges the tutor's traditional interpretation, he becomes thoroughly agitated and befuddled. Chunxiang discovers a large garden behind the classroom and tries to entice Du Liniang to explore it with her. The tutor, furious, is about to hit Chunxiang when Du Lininang claims the high ground by pretending to discipline the maid herself. The two girls put on an act for the benefit of the teacher, who decides to let matters rest. The theme of conflict between youth and ossified Confucian orthodoxy continues.
Scene 3 - Interrupted Dream
	Awakened by warblers in the morning, Du Liniang is dazzled by the signs of spring.? She suddenly realizes she has promised to explore the garden with Chunxiang, who comes to assist her with getting dressed. Pleased with herself in the mirror, she declares that for all her elegant accessories, she likes being natural best. At first, the two girls flit here and there in the garden like birds out of a cage, marveling at its sights and sounds. Soon, however, Du Liniang falls into deep thoughts as Chunxiang attempts to draw her out. Back in her room, Du Liniang sighs that, at sixteen, she is wasting yet another spring with no one who truly “knows” her. The Flower God enters, escorting a dream lover for her. Du Liniang and the man, holding a willow branch signifying spring, back into each other. When they turn around, they regard each other with astonishment. The man asks if she might compose a poem for the occasion. Du Liniang inquires shyly how he has managed to find her. Holding her sleeve, he addresses her as “Jiejie” (literarily, “older sister” or “respected sister”) and confides that he has been looking her all along. They consummate their love in the Peony Pavilion as flower fairies arrive to provide them cover. In what is the most famous erotic poetry in Chinese drama, Du Liniang's sexual arousal is couched in nature imagery, also reflected in the costumes.
Scene 4 - Declaration of Ambitions
An impoverished scholar, scion of the famous 8th century prose writer Liu Zongyuan, wakes up from a dream in which he has an encounter with a beautiful woman under a plum tree.? He is so affected by the dream he changes his name to Liu Mengmei (“willow dreams of plum”his family name means “willow”). As Liu Mengmei is an orphan, the person closest to him is Hunchback Guo, the old family gardener. He announces to Hunchback Guo that he is now ready to take the civil service examinations held in Hangzhou. Hunchback Guo supports this decision and starts packing. The appearance of Liu Mengmei and his sidekick immediately following the previous scene conveys the idea that he is not simply Du Liniang's dream lover, but a real person. This cues the audience to suspend their disbelief. In traditional Chinese drama, clothing reflects status and character rather than temporary conditions, thus we would not expect to see Liu Mengmei in rags even in poverty. The scrolls inscribed with writings by his famous ancestor, in vigorous, free-style calligraphy, underscore Liu Mengmei is a man with a mind of his own.
Scene 5 - Search for the Dream
Du Liniang returns to the garden to retrieve traces of her dream. She finds fond memories everywhere.She relives her dream and recalls how she was awakened by swirling flowers.
Scene 6 - The Traitor
The barbarian emperor of the Jin Empire, has conquered the northern part of China. He orders Li Quan, a Song general whom he won over by bribery, to harass the Huaiyang region in preparation for a Jin invasion of the south. This scene anchors the play in the Southern Song dynasty during the 12th century, when chaotic conditions due to political instability rendered personal attachments even more precious.
Scene 7 - Painting a Portrait
	With plum blossoms in her hand, Du Liniang sings that the person of her dream is nowhere to be found while she pines away for love. When she looks into a mirror that Chunxiang holds up for her, she is startled by her haggard image. She decides to paint a self-portrait before her beauty passes away. She pours her whole self into this task, which is a celebration of her beauty, a channel for her love, and an act of defiance against the passage of time. By painting her own portrait, Du Liniang boldly affirms her own existence and the validity of her emotions. The playwright suggests that emotions can be fulfilled only when acted upon.
Scene 8 - The Taoist Nun
The Taoist Priestess, Stone, enters and confesses matter-of-factly that she is congenitally unable to enjoy sex, her hymen being as hard as stone. She tells a bawdy tale of her wedding night, how she left her husband and became a Daoist priestess.
Scene 9 -The Soul Departs
Unpropitiously, rain pours on Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional day for family reunion. Raising her eyes to the moonless sky, Du Liniang feels life ebbing. All she can think of is her dream lover.? Recovering briefly, she gives instructions to Chunxiang to hide her self-portrait under a rock in the garden, and pleads with her mother to bury her under the large plum tree. She apologizes for having failed her duties as a daughter. Du Liniang's soul, receding into darkness, is cloaked in red--a hint that she will soon return to the land of the living.