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Zhou She Returns Pan'er's Hairclip

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A Dream of Splendor
梦华录 (2022)

Serial TV Drama
Director: Yang Yang 杨阳

LINKS TO THE TV DRAMA

In Chinese with English and simplified Chinese subtitles on YouTube. (This module covers episodes 1-6).

INFORMATION

Title: A Dream of Splendor 梦华录
Year: 2022
Style: Television drama series
Director: Yang Yang 杨阳
Writer: Zhang Wei 张巍
Cast: Liu Yifei 刘亦菲 (as Zhao Pan’er 赵盼儿), Chen Xiao 陈晓 (as Gu Qianfan 顾千帆), Liu Yan 柳岩 (as Sun San-niang 孙三娘), Lin Yun 林允 (as Song Yinzhang 宋引章), and Zhang Xiang 张翔 (as Zhou She 周舍)
Language: Mandarin Chinese
Installments: 40 episodes of 45 minutes

INTRODUCTION

A Dream of Splendor was exclusively broadcast on Tencent Video, one of China’s largest online video platforms with hundreds of millions of paid subscribers, in June 2022. Within days of its launch, the show’s viewership exceeded hundreds of millions of views. After its initial broadcast, the series went on to win many awards such as Tencent Video Annual Audience’s Favorite Series, an award that recognizes top performances in TV and film. It was also included in the China National Library of Editions, one of the largest libraries with the largest collection of Chinese literature and historical documents in the world. The success of the show can be attributed to its large-scale production as well as the casting of high-profile actors and actresses such as Liu Yifei, Chen Xiao, Liu Yan, Lin Yun, and Zhang Xiang. Among these, the presence of Liu Yifei in particular contributed to the blockbuster success of the series. She had taken a break from acting in historical dramas, but A Dream of Splendor marked her return to the historical drama scene.

A Dream of Splendor 梦华录 is loosely based on Guan Hanqing’s four act play Zhao Pan’er Saves a Courtesan 赵盼儿风月救风尘. Unlike the short play that inspired it, the drama expands the narrative into 40 episodes, each lasting around 45 minutes each. How does a short, four act play, become a 40 episode show? The source material revolves around the relationship of two sworn sister courtesans, Zhao Pan’er and Song Yinzhang, and an abusive patron, Zhou She. Instead of compressing the whole story so that it can be consumed in just one sitting, TV shows can be structured to encourage continued audience involvement over multiple episodes. Viewers are expected to remember and follow plot developments over multiple episodes. In A Dream of Splendor, a new character, Sanniang 三娘 (literally “Third Girl”) is a genre-driven innovation in developing the story line. Her seemingly minor role expands the narrative complexity of the drama, allowing it to become a relatively long-form television series.

In a romantic play or film, a character often plays the role of matchmaker, what contemporary parlance is called the wingman or the wing-woman. Often having some type of comedic element to their character, such a figure helps push and develop the other protagonists. In A Dream of Splendor, San-niang plays such an intermediary, but rather being the purveyor of romance, she assists with “unmaking a match,” while mediating dramatic irony. As noted above, the plot centers around the relationship of Zhao Pan’er and Song Yinzhang and an abusive client, Zhou She. Yinzhang ends up marrying Zhou She and repeatedly gets abused by him. Zhao Pan’er devises a scheme to seduce Zhou She in an attempt to free Song Yinzhang from his clutches. Just like Pan’er who is only pretending to be smitten by Zhou She, San-niang puts on a performance too. Her role, however, rather than solely to deceive Zhou She, also encompasses helping her sisters out and providing emotional support. Ultimately, it is San-niang who keeps the sisterhood alive by assisting Pan’er in any way possible to take down Zhou She and save her sisters from any harm.

In addition to her practical assistance, San-niang is crucial to the development of the narrative. Her role as a mediator between Zhou She and Pan’er gives her one of the biggest roles in the scheme. At the same time, her facial expressions and the subtle non-verbal interactions between her and her sisters provide an ironic commentary on the scenes at hand. Yet, she is not perceived to be as central to the story as Pan’er and Song Yinzhang, the original characters. Yet, the existence of the “third girl” expands the narrative possibilities for representing female friendship because her contributions solidify the bonds of sisterhood between the three women. Hence, this module will discuss how the addition of a third sworn sister allows for the creation of an aesthetics of dramatic irony.

PLOT SUMMARY

In the original play Zhao Pan’er Saves a Courtesan, the two main protagonists, Zhao Pan’er (cast as the female main lead/dan 旦) and Song Yinzhang (cast as "coquettish female"/huadan 花旦), are courtesans who develop a sworn sisterhood in which they help each other face the unfortunate realities of their profession. Theirs is a strong bond, made all the richer for their conflict around the male protagonist, Zhou She (cast as villain/comic/jing 淨). Rather than dwelling on “I told you so,” Zhao ingeniously rescues her sworn sister from an abusive marriage she advised against. One extant version of the play pairs Yinzhang with another client, the scholar An Xiushi, however, in both extant late Ming editions, Zhao Pan’er resolutely cautions against the temptation of marriage in general. In her view, the only possible happy ending for herself is to jealously guard her autonomy in the face of certain second-class status as a concubine or paramour in a man’s household.

A Dream of Splendor substantially alters the characterization of these two female protagonists. Both Zhao Pan’er and Song Yinzhang are turned into two unequivocally “pure” women. In other words, the show portrays them as commoners trying to make a living after their previous lives as indentured entertainers. The show emphasizes that Zhao Pan’er and Song Yinzhang entertained customers through nonsexual acts such as dancing, singing, and or playing a musical instrument. Though in the original play the sisters are understood to be providing sexual favors to their clients, contemporary Chinese TV shows must be approved by censors. Accordingly, having main characters engaging in sexual activities would interfere with TV norms designed to promote positive and heteronormative values.

In A Dream of Splendor, the two were at one point exploited as young girls, but they maintain their innocence by stating they never sold their bodies to please men, and outwardly look down upon those that do. Furthermore, after escaping their indentured life, Zhao Pan’er wants to become successful on her own. With the help of her sworn sister and neighbor, Sun San-niang, who is a butcher and an amazing chef, Zhao becomes the owner of a tea shop. Meanwhile, her other sworn sister, Song Yinzhang tries to find her way as a pipa musician. Both Zhao and Song actively seek to fall in love with a “good man” to move up the social ladder.

In contrast to the original play where Zhao Pan’er sings arias about not being able to find love or a good man to love, in A Dream of Splendor, her love life is centered and is explicitly explored through the character of Gu Qianfan, a commander and military official of the elite Capital Security Office. In this manner, the TV series adheres to heteronormative standards, while also catering to the female audience’s desire for “good men.” Such good men do not primarily supply romance, they offer social mobility and financial capital instead. By removing the prostitution as part of the story and adding appropriate love interests, A Dream of Splendor draws upon established conventions to produce socially acceptable characters suitable for a mainstream TV drama. The module below will focus on the first six episodes of the series, a segment that corresponds to the plot of the original play.

THEME: Dramatic Irony through Editing and Character Addition

In storytelling, dramatic irony refers to situations crafted to produce a cleavage between what is expected and what occurs. Dramatic irony allows for a contrast between the surface meaning of words spoken or actions done with the other events in the story. Ironic expressions can be understood as a type of secret language that turns the audience into a knowing confidante.

In A Dream of Splendor, upon hearing that Song Yinzhang is being abused, Zhao Pan’er hatches a plan to rescue her from Zhou She. From then on, when Zhao Pan’er interacts with Zhou She the show’s editorial choices create an illusion of how Zhou She perceives her actions versus how Pan’er really feels about the encounters. The specific and precise editing allows for the irony of the situation to increase because the audience knows that Pan’er’s actions are part of a bigger plan, but Zhou She does not know he is being played. When the sworn sisters interact with Zhou She, they act one way towards him, but their facial expressions change when they are out of his view. In A Dream of Splendor, the sisters’ body language, alongside repeated shots of the sisters meaningfully glancing at each other, create nonverbal ironic utterances.

In A Dream of Splendor, the additional main female character, Sun San-niang, is the central figure for producing drama irony. Sun San-niang’s name contains a pun in that her name explicitly indicates her role in the drama. The characters of her name are Sun (孙, a common Chinese surname, but also the last name of the author of The Art of War, Sunzi bingfa 孙子兵法) and “Third Sister” (Sanniang, 三娘). This name implies that she is the additional person within the already established sister bond between Zhao Pan’er and Song Yinzhang. Furthermore, in accordance with her surname’s meaning, we may infer that San-niang is a crafty tactician. Ultimately, Sun San-niang adds another narrative strand and alternative point of view to the plot. Without the inclusion of her character, the storyline would make for a rather dull 40-episode TV show. Even though Zhao Pan’er and Song Yinzhang are the main sworn sisters, Pan’er takes on more of a motherly role towards Yinzhang. Similarly, Sun San-niang takes on a protector role for Zhao Pan’er. Though all three of the sisters rely on each other and look after one another, there is a hierarchal dynamic within their relationship. Most of the time Zhao Pan’er looks after both Yinzhang and San-niang, while San-niang looks after Zhao Pan’er and helps her look after Yinzhang as well.

In all the scenes below, it is evident that San-niang has a significant role in deceiving Zhou She. Though the plan to rescue Yinzhang from her abusive husband is conceived and carried out by Zhao Pan’er, San-niang accompanies Pan’er in almost every aspect of her performance. San-niang helps to move the scheme along. Her side commentary to Pan’er and her savage interactions with Zhou She all keep the plan in motion. In many cases, she oversees the situation and thus becomes a medial character that communicates between other characters.

Example 1. Pan’er confronts Zhou She and claims she is in love with him (Episode 4)

In this scene, Pan’er runs into Zhou She and pretends to be delighted by his presence. She then asks him if he has already married Song Yinzhang. When he responds in the affirmative, she acts hurt by his decision. That is when Sun San-niang steps in and yells that Zhou She left Pan’er to marry her best friend, Yinzhang. Although this is not true, this simple outburst launches the sisters’ plan to rescue Yinzhang. Sun San-niang's statement shows that Pan’er is interested in Zhou She. After the sisters walk away and step into their carriage, the pretend act is over, and Pan’er is seething with rage. Her facial expression does a complete turnabout; in the confined quarters of her carriage, she is free to vent her true feelings about Zhou She. Zhou She does not know that he is being tricked but the audience knows he is no match for the sworn sisters' elaborate scheme.

In Fig. 3, the main focus is on San-niang as she is the speaker in that scene, but both Pan’er and Zhou She are visible in the frame. Although the audience only sees the shoulder of Zhou She and the back of Pan’er, San-niang occupies the middle position. San-niang's physical position in this shot establishes her place in the scheme: the intermediary. Furthermore, her interaction with Zhou She amplifies Pan’er’s feelings because she steps in to reiterate that Pan’er is hurt by Zhou She's decision to marry Yinzhang. San-niang recounting Zhao’s experience as an outsider to Zhou She make Pan’er’s reactions seem genuine and authentic. San-niang adds a third perspective to the pair, while her input propels the plan forward.

Likewise, in Fig. 4, the main focus is again on Pan’er. San-niang is sitting to the side of Pan’er, giving the audience a side view of San-niang. Yet, there is space to the left of Pan’er but San-niang is positioned to the right instead. If San-niang was sitting on Pan’er’s left, the two sisters would occupy equal positions but instead the focus remains on Pan’er. San-niang's position, not only in Fig. 4 but in Fig. 3 as well, is literally and figuratively secondary to Pan’er.

Example 2. Zhou She comes to return Zhao Pan'er’s hairpin (Episode 4)In this scene, Zhou She comes to Zhao Pan’er’s home. Prior to his entrance, Pan’er and San-niang exchange glances as a way of saying, “It’s showtime.” The actions and exchanges between the sisters prior to Zhou She entering the room is an example of dramatic irony because the sisters are explicitly preparing themselves to create a performance. The audience is thus privy to their act, while Zhou She is not. Once he comes in, Pan’er acts angry and demands that Zhou She tell her why he picked Song Yinzhang over her. This is obviously part of the plan but when the camera pans to Zhou She and San-niang, they both seem surprised. Later, while Pan’er continues her performance, the camera cuts to a close-up of San-niang subtly giggling at her sworn sister’s dramatic performance. In this scene, Pan’er is the one to put on an elaborate and over-the-top act, but it is San-niang who opens the door and tells Zhou She in no uncertain terms to leave. In this way, San-niang's continuous coldness towards Zhou She makes it seem as though she is angry at Zhou She for his negligence of Pan’er. Thus, her short but meaningful interactions with Zhou She make Pan’er’s act of the lovelorn woman believable. Moreover, the editing of San-niang also plays into the dramatic irony of the situation. It is evident that the main interactions are between Zhou She and Pan’er, as the editing style continuously shows the pair together on screen, occasionally showing a close-up of one of them when they speak. By contrast, more often than not, San-niang is shown in a single shot by herself.

Click to Expand/Collapse Translation Notes

Chinese Captions	CTC Translation
周舍：赵娘子，小可周舍。刚才捡到了您的金钗，特来归还。赵娘子...赵娘子...	Zhou She: [outside the door] Miss Zhao, it is I, Zhou She. I just picked up your gold hairpin. I came to return it to you. Miss Zhao...Miss Zhao...
三娘：是你啊。	San-niang [opens door]: Oh, it’s you.
周舍：是我。	Zhou She: Yes, it’s me.
三娘：你来干嘛呀。我们家姑娘这会儿正不自在呢。赶紧滚。	San-niang: What are you doing here? Our lady Miss Zhao is feeling uneasy at the moment. Get out of here now!
周舍：我来还钗子的，让我进去。	Zhou She: I’m here to return her hairpin, let me in.
盼儿：凡郎，你这个狼心狗肺的伪君子。	Pan’er: Fan-lang, you cruel and immoral pseudo-gentleman with the heart of a wolf and the spleen of a dog.
周舍：你听见没，叫我呢...周舍有罪。	Zhou She: Did you hear that? She’s calling me... [walks in the room and towards Pan’er] I’m guilty.
盼儿：你跟周舍...周舍？	Pan’er: You and Zhou She...Oh Zhou She?
周舍：周舍惹了赵娘子生气，这就认您打骂，随您责罚。	Zhou She: I made you angry. You can beat, scold, and punish me as you please.
三娘：你光天化日之下敢私闯民宅...出去！	San-niang: How dare you barge into this house without permission in broad daylight...Get out!
周舍：我我我，钗子没还呢。	Zhou She: I...I... I... haven’t returned her hairpin yet.
盼儿：打死你这个没眼力见儿的坏东西...你说...除了不会弹琵琶，我哪一点比不上宋引章？	Pan’er: I’ll beat you to death you senseless scoundrel. Tell me...besides not being able to play the pipa (lute), what part of me is inferior to Song Yinzhang?
周舍：没有。	Zhou She: None.
盼儿：她有我美吗？	Pan’er: Does she have my beauty?
周舍：没有。	Zhou She: No.
盼儿：她有我识情趣吗？	Pan’er: Does she have my understanding and interests?
周舍：没有...她连你一个指甲盖都比不上。	Zhou She: No... she cannot compare to even one of your fingernails.

In Fig. 6, though Pan’er and Zhou She are in the distance, though at a remove from the camera, are still the focal point of the shot, a position underscored by the lighting. San-niang is positioned to the left of the couple and is cast in dark lighting. Similarly, at a symbolic level, the same holds true for the sisters’ roles in the scheme. Pan’er does most of the outward performance, but San-niang's constant onlooker perspective allows her to both observe the interactions as well as step in when necessary to move the scheme along. Typically, her facial expressions go unnoticed by the pair because she is at a distance, but can be seen by the audience. Shots of San-niang unconsciously smirking, snickering, or laughing keep the irony of situation alive. Each cut to her reactions comically entertains and reminds the audience that everything Pan’er does is a part of a bigger plan.

Example 3. Zhou She files for divorce (Episode 5)

In this scene, all three sworn sisters are allowing for even more evident irony to be displayed through the looks exchanged among them. For example, Zhou She cannot pay back the dowry, so he decides to give his mansion to Yinzhang as compensation. When he announces this, the three sisters give each other a quick but acknowledging glance; Pan’er looks to Yinzhang and Yinzhang looks back at Pan’er full of hope. San-niang smirks to herself at the thought of Zhou She's foolishness, underscoring her function as a mediator of dramatic irony. Then, as Zhou She signs the relevant paperwork, the series cuts to Pan’er staring at his fingerprint and biting her lip. Afterwards, San-niang turns to Yinzhang and nods as if to say, “It’s done, he did it.” After Pan’er makes an oath to marry Zhou She, she takes the divorce paper and walks away with it. When Zhou She tries to stop her, San-niang nudges Yinzhang to distract him. Then, Pan’er comes out and throws the paper at Yinzhang. The camera cuts to a close-up of Pan’er’s face and she raises her eyes at Yinzhang to communicate that this is part of the plan. Later when the three sisters are reunited, they are all smiles, incredibly happy to have saved Yinzhang. In the interior of the carriage, they can express their happiness and embrace one another.

San-niang's reactions and actions are often very realistic, making her character relatable for the audience. When Zhou She is signing the divorce papers, San-niang walks around while her eyes are darting around between characters. The worried expression and wandering eyes give the audience the impression that she is mediating the interactions. Like in other scenes, the mediation of San-niang is subtle but important. The nudge she gives Yinzhang allows the final steps of the plan to be completed. Without San-niang monitoring both Pan’er and Yinzhang’s actions and discretely egging them on, the plan would have been harder to execute. Even though San-niang's actions often go unnoticed by others, her subtle mediation pushes the plan along. Yet, after the completed mission, only Pan’er and Yinzhang are seen to embrace each other without acknowledging San-niang's mediation (see Fig. 8).

Click to Expand/Collapse Translation Notes

Chinese Captions	CTC Translation
周舍：我这宅子总值个几十贯吧，大不了我把地契抵给你，行了吧？	Zhou She: The total value of this house is a couple thousand strings. If worse comes to worst, I will give the title deed to you, how about that?
周舍：盼儿，当着大家的面，我再问你一声，是不是我休了她之后，你就嫁给我。	Zhou She: Pan'er, in front of everyone, I ask you again, will you marry me after I divorce her.
盼儿：绝无二话。	Pan’er: I have no objections.
周舍：那你发个誓。	Zhou She: Then swear on it.
盼儿：我赵盼儿发誓，苍天在上，黄土在下。我赵盼儿愿嫁周舍为妻，有违此誓，天打雷劈。	Pan’er: With the blue sky above and the yellow earth below, I, Pan’er, swear. I vow to marry Zhou She and be his wife. If I disobey this oath, may I be struck by lightning.
盼儿：我这休书得看看，你要是上头写错怎么办呀？	Pan’er: Let me have a look at this divorce paper. If you made a mistake, then what would happen？ [walks away with the papers].
周舍：不会有错，我写这个东西...	Zhou She: That's not possible, I wrote it...
盼儿：宋引章，你也有今日。	Pan’er: Song Yinzhang, today is yours too. [Pan’er hands her the papers and Yinzhang walks away]

In conclusion, San-niang's character represents the idea that there are other women just like Pan’er and Yinzhang. These two are not the only sisters who suffer an ill fate or endure struggles. In this way, San-niang adds an extra element to the sisterhood bond and trope. She is always willing to help her sisters out, especially Pan’er. Yet, San-niang's character is multimodal, fitting into the narrative in multiple ways. She not only offers solidarity to the sisterhood bond by being the supplementary sister to the two, but she also has her own story line outside her role as a sister. She is first woven into the initial story (this section derived from the play that is analyzed above) as a sworn sister, then used to narratively flesh out the remaining 34 episodes of the show as a third romantic lead. In this way, San-niang's character highlights the marriage trope by which she, along with her other sworn sisters, either get married or find romance with one of the male characters. Thus, the addition of San-niang not only provides an element of irony during the scheme and adds solidarity to the sisterhood, but her pursuit of romance in the remaining episodes allows the plot to expand enough to provide content for 40 episodes. San-niang is thus not only the mediator within the narrative, but also serves as a device specific to the long-form medium of contemporary Chinese television (an industry whose seasons regularly run into multiple tens of episodes).

WORKS CONSULTED CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE

Chen, Daowen. "Sworn Siblings in Sanyan Stories.” Master’s thesis, Washington University, 2011.

Hu, TingTing and Cathy Yue Wang. “Strategic Sisterhood and the Girlfriend Gaze: Representation of Girlfriendship in the Chinese TV Drama Ode to Joy.” Critical Studies in Television, 16(4), 2021: 394-411.

Tang Tang 唐唐 and Bao Ye 炮爷. “Weishenme hui bei ma?" 为什么会被骂 (Why Is it Being Criticized). Weixin 微信 (WeChat). June 8, 2022. Accessed January 21, 2025.

AUTHOR

Savanna Eggens