Chinese Theater Collaborative

The Story of the Western Wing
西廂記 (1965)

Huangmei Opera Film
Director: Yueh Feng 岳楓

LINKS TO THE FILM


INFORMATION

INTRODUCTION

Upon its founding in 1958, Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) Ltd. constructed the most advanced film studio in the Chinese film industry. It produced roughly 1,000 films until 1987, when it ceased production. In the 1960s, Shaw Brothers Studio primarily exported Mandarin Chinese (putonghua 普通話) costume films as well as Huangmei opera films (huangmeidiao dianying 黃梅調電影) to overseas Chinese communities, including Taiwan, Singapore, and Southeast Asia. Among the latter, a notable title includes West Chamber (Xixiang ji 西廂記, 1965) adapted from the Yuan-dynasty zaju play The Story of the Western Wing (Xixiang ji 西廂記).

In 1962, three years prior to the release of West Chamber, in their official publication Southern Screen (Nanguo Dianying 南國電影), Shaw Brothers introduced the in-progress production of a film entitled Hongniang 紅娘 and named after Crimson, the maid prominently featured  in the original Western Wing play. Initially, the film was titled West Chamber and featured Student Zhang, Cui Yingying, and Hongniang as the main characters. However, as the shoot was about to commence, it was decided that the film would focus primarily on the character of Hongniang, because the production team intended to cast Lin Dai 林黛 (1934-1964), one of the studio’s most famous stars, as Crimson. As a result, the proposed film’s title was changed to Hongniang. Once shooting started, Southern Screen also featured photographs of Ivy Ling Po 凌波 (1939-) as “the incarnation of Cui Yingying” 崔鶯鶯的化身 and of a male actor in the role of Student Zhang.

However, work on Hongniang was temporarily suspended in late 1962 as the studio devoted resources to the production of another Huangmei opera film, The Love Eterne (Liang Shanbo yu Zhu Yingtai 梁山伯與祝英台). Released in 1963, this film was a huge box office success, quickly turning into an audience favorite in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and other Chinese-speaking regions. Ling Po’s impressive cross-gender performance as male scholar Liang Shangbo 梁山伯 turned her into a star and earned her the first of many best-actress awards at the Taipei Golden Horse Awards (Jinma jiang 金馬獎), Taiwan’s “Oscars” for Chinese-language cinema. The enthusiastic audience reception of Ling Po’s cross-gender performance also affected casting choices in later Shaw Brothers productions.

When the studio resumed production of Hongniang, Ling Po was newly cast as the male protagonist Student Zhang, and the film's title was changed back to its original name of West Chamber. The production of West Chamber emphasized the character of Student Zhang as the film's primary draw; at the same time, it also highlighted the character of Hongniang, played by Li Ching 李菁 (1948-2018), who had won a best-actress award at the 1965 Asian Pacific Film Festival. To capitalize on the success of these two actresses, Shaw Brothers' film poster marketed West Chamber as “a collaboration between two of Asia’s Best Actresses” 兩位亞洲影后携手合作.

PLOT SUMMARY

As Zhang Gong 張珙 (style name Junrui 君瑞)/Student Zhang (played by Ivy Ling Po 凌波), a candidate for the capital-level civil service examinations, travels to visit his friend General Du Que 杜確, he chances upon the deceased prime minister’s daughter, Cui Yingying 崔鶯鶯 (played by Fang Yin 方盈), and her maid Hongniang 紅娘 (played by Li Ching 李菁) at the Temple of Universal Salvation. Both Zhang and Cui are immediately smitten with each other. Meanwhile, a group of bandits threaten to burn down the temple unless Madam Cui agrees to marry off Yingying to their leader. In order to save her family, Madam Cui promises to marry Yingying to whoever can rescue them. Zhang writes a letter to General Du asking for his intercession and thus saves Yingying from the bandits. However, Madam Cui reneges on her promise and instead asks Zhang to be Yingying's sworn brother. On the advice of Hongniang, Zhang tries to convey his feelings to Yingying by playing the zither. Moved by his love and literary talent, Yingying starts to reciprocate his feelings through poems. With the good offices of Hongniang, Zhang and Yingying secretly begin dating at night. Their relationship is soon discovered by Madam Cui, who is furious, but is eventually persuaded by Hongniang to allow the engagement on the condition that Zhang passes the examinations. In the end, Student Zhang becomes the top graduate of the examination and marries Yingying at the temple.

THEME: The Importance of Hongniang

In his examination of how playwright Wang Shifu 王實甫 (fl. second part of the thirteenth century) deviates from traditional zaju structural conventions in The Story of the Western Wing, Wilt Idema illustrates how Wang’s redistribution of songs to various roles enriched the characterization of the maid Hongniang. Furthermore, Idema argues that Wang Shifu’s rendition of the play turned Hongniang into “one of the most beloved characters of the Chinese stage.” The growing significance of Hongniang’s character is further demonstrated in illustrated renditions of the drama text produced and printed during the Ming dynasty. As noted by Patricia Sieber and Gillian Yanzhuang Zhang, frequently depicted as the lone figure in the “printed handscroll” of The Story of the Western Wing: The Deluxe Edition (1499), Hongniang “assumes outsized importance,” “upending customary social hierarchies” (111).

To capitalize on actress Li Ching’s fame, Shaw Brothers’ West Chamber continued to portray Hongniang as a central figure in the story. The film’s posters and DVD covers always featured as Hongniang as one of the main protagonists, second only to Ling Po’s Student Zhang (see Fig. 3). Additionally, the character of Cui Yingying, who is traditionally the main female protagonist in the story, is often positioned as the third actress on the list. For example, the initial film credits present the characters and their actresses in a specific sequence. Without visual representation of the characters, the film first introduces the name of Student Zhang, portrayed by Ling Po, followed by Hongniang, played by Li Ching. As on the posters, the character of Cui Yingying, portrayed by Fang Yin, is presented as the third key figure. (Bilibili source 00:38-00:53). More importantly, this film elevates the visibility and importance of the character Hongniang through various means. Two specific scenes will be discussed below. 

The First Encounter (4:08-5:50)

When Student Zhang first meets Hongniang and Yingying, the audience first hears Hongniang’s voice and then sees her open the door and come out to chase a butterfly (4:08). In contrast, Yingying appears in the scene much later than her maid. From 4:26 to 4:40, dressed in an eye-catching red dress, Hongniang chases the butterfly, prominently figuring in the front and center of the scene. She is the largest figure in the shot, while Student Zhang and the monk are standing behind her. It is clear that their attention, as well as the audience’s attention, is completely absorbed by Hongniang and the butterfly. In her interactions with the other three protagonists, Hongniang is the only one who speaks, with the exception of one short line from Yingying before she enters the shot. After that, Yingying, the monk, and Student Zhang all remain silent in their exchanges with Hongniang. 
 
Click to expand/collapse Translation Notes
Chinese SubtitlesCTC Translation
红娘：飞啦，飞啦，飞到墙外头去啦。Hongniang: It flies away, flies away! It flies across the wall to the other side!
崔莺莺：别过去了，让它去吧。Yingying: Don’t go across (the wall) to the courtyard, let it go!
红娘：不行，我一定要捉住它。Hongniang: No way, I will catch it for sure!
干什么你！What on earth are you doing?
都是你瞎帮忙。It is all because you were messing around!
那儿来的书呆子。How come there is this nerd here?
小姐，我们快点进去。Missy, let's quickly go inside.
给老夫人看见了不得了。It would be a disaster if Madam saw this!

The Interrogation (1:33:52 -1:37.22)

The second example that highlights Hongniang is the famous rearranged scene of “Interrogating Hongniang” (“Kao Hong” 拷紅), when Madam Cui discovers Zhang and Yingying’s affair and interrogates Hongniang to obtain more information. Compared to Wang Shifu’s text, Hongniang’s lyrics have been expanded and enriched with additional details. The actress Li Ching also brings depth to the performance with various body movements and gestures that accompany her singing. For example, when singing the first line, she repeats “that night” twice with a prolonged singing voice, similar to the singing skill of melisma in traditional Kunqu (kunqu 昆曲) performance, building up the dramatic tension between Hongniang and Madam Cui by keeping the latter in suspense. To further extend this moment, Li Ching adds an unexpected pause between the two lines of “that night” with a gesture of wiping away her tears. This technique is used multiple times throughout the scene. With her steps, body movements, and special singing techniques, Hongniang is able to control the flow of her narrative in an effort to share the lovers’ point of view with Madam Cui.
 
Click to expand/collapse Translation Notes
Chinese SubtitlesCTC Translation
红娘（唱）：那一夜，那一夜小姐停针绣。Hongniang (sings): That night, that night, Missy just finished with her embroidery,
我与她闲话在楼头I was idly chatting with her in the room,
她说起张家哥哥病已久。And she turned the talk to brother Zhang’s long illness.
可怜他异乡作客，多烦愁。She felt sorry for him, because he was a stranger in this foreign land, burdened with worries.
因此上背了夫人，Therefore, without telling you, Madam,
前往西厢去问候。(We) went to visit the western wing.
崔夫人（云）：这怎么可以呀，那张生怎么说？Madam Cui (speaks): How could you do this! Then what did he say about your visit?
红娘（唱）：他说道老夫人不顾信守，Hongniang (sings): He said, “The madam broke her word,
忘却了解围事，将恩作仇。Forgetting about how I helped you out, she turned a favor into a feud.
东阁内饮下了悔婚酒。In the eastern banquet room, I (was forced to) drink the wine that broke our engagement.”
眼见他病奄奄一命难留。Seeing him at death’s door,
俺小姐劝张生不要难受，My dear sister asked him not to feel heart-broken,
年少人志四方，万里封侯。Telling him that as a young man, he should keep going to realize his aspirations, traveling thousands of miles to seek honor and power.
张生说他不羡金印如斗，Zhang replied that he did not long for any powerful official positions,
宁愿作鸳鸯绿水间游。But would rather be a pair of mandarin ducks (with Missy) aloft a clear pond.
他二人直说到三更时，The two of them kept talking into the wee hours,
那张生还说个没了没休。And Zhang could not stop talking.
崔夫人（云）：那后来呢？Madam Cui (speaks): What happened afterwards?
红娘（唱）：他们把红娘推出房门口，They pushed me out of the room.
关了门，灭了灯，我只好走。They closed the door and turned off the light, so I had no choice but to leave.


Upon learning of the affair, Madam Cui threatens to report the matter to the local court. Hongniang boldly interrupts Madam Cui and blames her for the affair, an atypically forward move for someone of her social station (1:38:54-1:41:50). In Wang Shifu’s original playtext, Hongniang’s listing of Madam Cui's mistakes had taken the form of dialogue rather than a song. By contrast, in the film, Hongniang asserts her agency by challenging Madam Cui’s authority in an extended aria. She identifies three mistakes committed by Madam Cui in parallel form. In the delivery of this long aria about who should bear the blame for Zhang’s and Yingying’s affair, Hongniang demonstrates her moral discernment of right and wrong as well as her skills of persuasion. Through her powerful vocal performance, body gestures, and strategic use of pauses and emotional inflections, Hongniang successfully convinces Madam Cui to pursue Hongniang’s proposed course of action. In Wang Shifu’s playtext, Hongniang humbly says that she “would not dare presume to decide what’s right,” but hopes Madam Cui will give the matter consideration (紅娘不敢自專，乞望夫人台鑒). 

The First Reprimand (49:09-49:52)

In the Shaw’s West Chamber, Hongniang’s characterization was possibly mediated by an earlier Beijing opera rendition of Hongniang, performed by the famous male dan 旦 actor Xun Huisheng 荀慧生 (1900-1968) and his female student Zhao Yanxia 趙燕俠 (1928- present) (see “Hongniang” 1976).  Just as Zhao represented Hongniang as a more self-aware figure, saying “in my Hongniang’s view” (依我紅娘之見) when she seeks to persuade Madam Cui, the maid character in the Shaw Brothers’ West Chamber shows more confidence in her own reasoning and her moral judgment. Interestingly, this is not the first time when Hongniang comments on Madam Cui’s behavior in West Chamber. Earlier when Student Zhang complained to Hongniang about Madam Cui after the banquet, she sang a short song to mollify Zhang and criticize Madam Cui for not keeping her promise: 
 
Click to expand/collapse Translation Notes
Chinese SubtitlesCTC Translation
红娘：有道是一诺重千金，Hongniang: There is a saying that “a promise is as weighty as a thousand taels of gold.”
岂能许婚又赖婚？How could she break her words after having promised your engagement?
老夫人实在不应该，It is truly unacceptable for Madam to do this,
难怪公子怒气生。And you have every reason to be so angry.

The Second Reprimand (1:38:54-1:41:50)

Instead of just providing explanations and offering gentle prodding, Hongniang’s morally charged comments about Madam Cui make her a more prominent, vocal, and morally authoritative character in West Chamber.
 
Click to expand/collapse Translation Notes
Chinese SubtitlesCTC Translation
红娘：一不该，翻云覆雨错安排，Hongniang: The first impropriety, you should not have changed your mind about the arrangement as [abruptly as] clouds and rains,
许了婚姻又把婚姻赖。Agreeing to the marriage but going back on your words later.
可记得贼兵困围普救寺，Do you remember when the bandits laid siege to the Temple of Universal Salvation,
是谁解了这大祸灾？Who rescued us from this major calamity？
你本是相国夫人受诰命，You are the Lady of the Prime Minister under Imperial Mandate,
言而无信不应该。It is not acceptable that you fail to keep your word.
二不该，把张生留在西厢内，The second impropriety, you should not have agreed to let Student Zhang stay in the western wing.
无异近水一楼台。This is nothing short of building a tower right beside the water,
莫怪游蜂把花采，Hence you cannot blame the wandering bees for visiting the flowers,
窗儿原是你自己开。Since it is you who left the window open.
若是让官府查明白，If you let the local court inquire further into this affair,
夫人你治家不严又不该。It is again your fault to have failed to keep strict control within the family.
三不该，若问那犯事之人那一位，The third impropriety, if one asks who is the one involved in this affair,
偏又是相国千金女裙钗。It is none other than the unmarried daughter of the prime minister.
一朝家丑传出外，Once this scandal is made public,
颜面只怕少光采。It will bring the family into disrepute.
夫人哪，My dear Madam,
那张公子虽然不是玉堂朱紫贵，Though Mr. Zhang is not from a noble family,
却也有宋玉风采子建才。He has the elegance of Song Yu and the literary talent of Cao Zhi.
如今生米已成饭，Now that their union has been achieved as surely as the grains of rice have already been fully cooked,
倒不如顺水推舟好遮盖。Why not go with the flow to cover up this affair?

WORKS CONSULTED: CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE

Idema, Wilt. “The Story of the Western Wing: Tale, Ballad, and Play.” In How To Read Chinese Drama, edited by Patricia Sieber and Regina Llamas, 31-51. Columbia University Press, 2022.

Liu, Siyuan. “Purifying Theatricality in Performance.” In his Transforming Tradition: The Reform of Chinese Theater in the 1950s and Early 1960s, 98-156. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2021.

Sieber, Patricia and Gillian Yanzhuang Zhang. “The Story of the Western Wing: Theater and the Printed Image.” In How To Read Chinese Drama, edited by Patricia Sieber and Regina Llamas, 101-126. New York: Columbia University Press, 2022.

Wang, Shi-fu. The Story of the Western Wing, edited and translated with an introduction by Stephen H. West and Wilt L. Idema. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1995.

AUTHOR

Erxin Wang

This page has paths:

This page references: