This is an English translation of the famous play written by Hung Sheng (1654-1704)
The full translation of this wonderfully adept and lively Play is contained in Volume No.1 (this volume) whilst a second work, Volume No.2 contains the extensive footnotes and appendices of the author.
About The Play
The monumental Chinese stage drama Lasting-life Palace-hall (ch'ang-sheng tien) by Hung Sheng (Hong Sheng) (1654-1704) is one of the most famous and seminal Chinese works. Its topic is the romance between a T'ang dynasty, 8th century AD, emperor and his empress, she being vividly regarded as China's outstanding femme fatale, his love with her having led to the breakdown of the dynasty.
Their tale is one of the three or four most celebrated love romance of Chinese tradition. The play would take days to perform in its entirety, but has spawned various short excerpt-dramas. It is a complex mix of complexities, lyric, powerfully descriptive, occasionally humorous and even bawdy. A major artifact of Chinese, and, indeed world, literature and entertainment.
Lasting-life Palace-hall, like many earlier plays and other writings, concerned the love affair of Emperor Shining August-emperor of the T'ang and Yang Jade-bangle (Yang Yu-huan), who became his Most-prized-empress (Yang Kui-fei). It was much longer and more elaborate than any earlier drama on the same theme, and had fifty acts. Unlike Pai P'u's (AD 1226 - AD?) Rain on the parasol-tree (Wu-t'ung yü), it doesn't limit itself to Empress Yang's death and the emperor's sorrowful memories of her. From Act Twenty-six onwards, she frequently reappears as a spirit. She sees her scheming relatives carried off to Hell. The grieving emperor has a life-size image of her carved in precious wood. Meanwhile in the capital, after an unsuccessful assassination attempt by a loyalist musician, the adopted son of the rebel An Lu-shan murders Lu-shan. T'ang armies restore the empire, and the emperor returns to the capital. On his way, he reaches the spot where Empress Yang lies buried, and orders her exhumation for reburial. The grave is empty but for her perfume sachet. A woman brings one of Empress Yang's silk stockings to him, and these two mementos renew his sorrow. Back in the capital, he engages a Taoist necromancer to try and contact Empress Yang's spirit. With the collusion of sympathetic gods, and the help of the Taoist, the two lovers meet once more, the Taoist conjuring up a bridge, and the emperor journeying to the moon to re-join Empress Yang. Already deities in a previous existence, they are now restored to Heaven and reunited in their love for vast time.
The play's superbly free in its imagination, and much of it is one ornate lyric poem to love. Hung Sheng took immense care in polishing it and in expunging some of the spicier love scenes to shift the emphasis to a dancing scene. Later, feeling that this weakened the love element, he revised it once more. Only after a third major revision did he settle its form and title. A music master added his expertise to Hung's enormous knowledge of music for the songs.
Although the play has a happy ending in the Chinese tradition, the element of personal and political tragedy looms large in the workings of the plot.
Other known translations of the original title are 'Abiding-life Palace-hall, Palace of Eternal Youth and Palace of Eternal Life with Hung Sheng being otherwise known as Hong Sheng.
About the Author: One of the foremost experts on the Chinese language, culture and history, a highly respected and renowned lecturer in Mandarin and father of five, William (Bill) Dolby spent his life researching and delving deep into classical china. Throughout his active career and until the last, Bill freely shared his deep love of Chinese drama and Classical Chinese and in so doing created a truly inspirational and sound foundation in those who took the time to listen. As a true master the respect that he gained from his peers and from students, friends and colleagues is indisputably a priceless rarity.
Over his lifetime he had various works published, all of which remain the foremost works in the area. These include 'A History of Chinese Drama' published by Elek Books in 1976 (ISBN 0 236 30903) and Lao She, Mr Ma and Son, published by Penguin in 2013 (ISBN NO: 978-0-14-320811-2) however, his greatest works are contained within his self-titled 'The Chinese Culture Series' 33 individual works; poetry, translation, insight and drama which only today are being made available for others to share.
