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‘Wu Song slaying the tiger’ is a popular fictional story among Chinese people. But it’s hardly noticed that this story scene has been chosen in Chinoiserie decorative art in Europe. Here is Dr Yibin Ni’s interesting research and his unique insight...
In Chapter 84 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, ‘Lu Xun Burns Seven Hundred Miles of Camps; Kongming Lays Out the Eight Formations,’ the flames of Lu Xun (陆逊, 183–245)’s assault drive Liu Bei into headlong flight. Eager to finish his foe, Lu Xun presses on to the riverbank, unaware that he has entered the fabled...
The Tale of the Curly-Bearded Fellow (Qiu Ran Ke Zhuan 虬髯客传) by Tang dynasty writer Du Guangting 杜光庭 recounts a vivid episode from the youth of Emperor Taizong, Li Shimin 李世民 (598–649). Set during the final years of the Sui dynasty—when warlords rose across a fractured empire—the story reflects the peop...
This scene is taken from Vol. 24 of the 14th-century Chinese historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三国演义 Sanguo Yanyi).
In the 15th year of Jian’an (AD 210), Cao Cao (曹操) completed the construction of Bronze Sparrow Terrace in Ye City (modern-day Handan, Hebei Province, China). To cele...
This is Scene three of Act Four of The Romance of the Western Chamber (Xixiang Ji 西厢记), a famous Chinese drama written by playwright Wang Shifu 王实甫 (1250–1336) in Yuan dynasty.
Zhang Gong 张珙 (styled Junrui 君瑞, also known as Scholar Zhang), and Madame Cui’s daughter, Cu...
Water Margin, also known as Outlaws of the Marsh or All Men Are Brothers, is a classic Chinese novel written during the Ming Dynasty. It is considered one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.
The authorship of the Water Margin has always been a subject of de...
This scene was from a popular play ‘The Story of the White Hare’ (Bai Tu Ji 白兔记) and was much admired during the Ming dynasty.
Liu Zhiyuan 刘知远, the hero of the play set during the turbulent Five Dynasties (907–960), became an orphan when he was a teenager. His affluent neighbour looked after him and later...
Nicknamed xingzhe (行者), ‘Pilgrim’ or ‘Traveller’, Wu Song (武松) is a popular fictional figure well-known for his slaying a tiger single-handedly after he was into...
This is a scene from a popular traditional play ‘A Set of Interlocking Stratagems (连环计)’.
The war lord Dong Zhuo (董卓, ? – 192 CE) became a senior minister in the Han court. His tendency to dominate the young sovereign, Emperor Xian of Han (汉献帝, 181–234 CE), gave other ministers cause for concern. They asked Wang Y...
‘True love conquers all’ is the theme of the Peony Pavilion (牡丹亭 Mudan Ting), a musical play of fifty-five scenes written by Tang Xianzu (汤显祖, 1550–1616) in Ming...
This scene is an episode from the Ming drama ‘The Story of the Girl Holding ...
Bo Yi (or Boyi, 伯夷) and Shu Qi (or Shuqi, 叔齐) were sons of the ruler of Guzhu (孤竹), a vassal state of the Shang dynasty (商朝, 16th-11th cent. BCE). As the king was getting old, he wanted Shu Qi, his youngest son, to inherit his throne. However, when the father died, Shu Qi asked Bo Yi to take over th...
Romance of the Western Chamber (西厢记 Xixiang ji) is the most popular love comedy in late imperial China. In the story, Scholar Zhang (张生 Zhang Junrui) falls in love with a beautiful lady named Cui Yingying (崔莺莺), who happens to be stranded in a monastery with her widowed mother and, after plenty of twist...