Wang Zijia ( or , 1622–1657) or Wang Zijie (), born Wang Jia (), was a Chinese '' kunqu'' actor of the

Ming–Qing transition The transition from Ming to Qing, alternatively known as Ming–Qing transition or the Manchu conquest of China, from 1618 to 1683, saw the transition between two major dynasties in Chinese history. It was a decades-long conflict between the em ...

who played ''

dan Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoir ...

'' roles (i.e. he impersonated women). He "mesmerize a new generation of youths after the fall of the Ming" and befriended some of the leading scholars such as Gong Dingzi, Qian Qianyi, and Wu Weiye. Originally from

Suzhou Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trade ...

, Wang first joined the household troupe of the scholar-official

Xu Qian Xu Qian or George Hsu (; June 15, 1871 – September 26, 1940) was a Chinese politician and jurist. He made important contribution to the judicial system of modern China. Originated from She County of Anhui province and born in Nanchang of Jia ...

. After the Ming government disbanded Xu's troupe, Wang joined the household troupe of Xu's nemesis Tu Guobao before heading to Beijing to try his luck. When he returned from Beijing, Wang Zijia was flogged to death on the order of the Suzhou censor Lin Senxian () — who was his admirer but also a "moral zealot" — for allegedly corruption morality.

In fiction

Wang Zijia's rise and fall formed one of the main storylines of the Qing dynasty novel ''Wutong Ying'' (, "The Parasol's Shade"). ''Kunqu'' actor Li Gonglü () played Wang Zijia in the 2005 TV series ''The Romantic King of Dramas'' ().

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Zijia Female impersonators in Chinese opera 17th-century Chinese male actors Singers from Suzhou Male actors from Suzhou Male Kunqu actors 1657 deaths 1622 births Deaths by beating People executed by the Qing dynasty Executed Qing dynasty people Ming dynasty actors Qing dynasty actors