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''Di Nü Hua'' is a fictional Chinese story about Princess Changping of the
Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...
and her husband/lover, Zhou Shixian. The first known story was a
Kunqu Kunqu (), also known as Kunju (), K'un-ch'ü, Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from a music style local to Kunshan, part of the Wu (region), Wu cultural area, and later came to dominate ...
script written in the
Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
, while the second version was a
Cantonese opera Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern China's Guangdong Province. It is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau and among Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. Like all versions of ...
from the early 1900s later found in
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
and
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
. Little information is available from this early 1900s version. The contemporary prevailing version, not meant to be historically accurate, comes from the second
Cantonese opera Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern China's Guangdong Province. It is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau and among Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. Like all versions of ...
script. The story unfolds as Princess Changping and Zhou Shixian are introduced to each other, participating in an arranged marriage. They meet and get engaged with the blessing of their parents. Her father, the emperor, is overthrown by
Li Zicheng Li Zicheng (22 September 1606 – 1645), born Li Hongji, also known by his nickname, the Thunder King, was a Chinese Late Ming peasant rebellions, peasant rebel leader who helped overthrow the Ming dynasty in April 1644 and ruled over northe ...
. To save herself, the Princess hides as a nun in a monastery, but she happens to meet Zhou again. After being found by the new regime (the
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
), she follows Zhou's plan to eventually commit suicide. Zhou formulates a plan to make sure that her father is properly buried (without asking for a proper burial ceremony) while her little brother is released to safety. Zhou returns alone to negotiate with the new regime using the bargaining power vested in him by a written request from her. Once the new regime makes good on these promises, the couple return to her former home for a wedding ceremony. They take poison (in some versions it is
arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol As and atomic number 33. It is a metalloid and one of the pnictogens, and therefore shares many properties with its group 15 neighbors phosphorus and antimony. Arsenic is not ...
) on their wedding night in the palace garden where they first met.


Adaptations

Using the Kunqu version and other publications, playwright
Tang Ti-sheng Tang Ti-sheng () (18 June 1917 – 15 September 1959), born Tang Kang-nien (), was a Cantonese opera playwright, scriptwriter, and film director. His contributions to Cantonese opera significantly influenced Hong Kong's reform and development of ...
adapted the story into a Cantonese opera. The opera made its debut at the
Lee Theatre Lee Theatre ( zh, first=t,j, t=利舞臺, j=lei6 mou5 toi4, p=Lì wǔtái) was a prominent theatre in Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Once one of the premier performing venues in Hong Kong, the Beaux-Arts theatre was demolished in ...
on 7 June 1957. Actresses
Yam Kim-fai Yam Kim-fai (, 4 February 1913 (Lunar 29 December 1912 – 29 November 1989), also known as Ren Jianhui was a Cantonese opera actress in China and Hong Kong. Yam was most notable for her unique ability to sing in the lower register. That her ope ...
and
Bak Sheut-sin Pak Suet Sin (born 19 May 1928 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China), also known as Bai Xuexian, is a retired Cantonese opera actress/singer in China and Hong Kong. Career Bak is notable for pairing up with fellow Cantonese opera star Yam Kim Fai. T ...
were part of the original cast and portrayed the leading roles. They continued to play the leads until 1961, after which they appeared only sporadically from 1962 to 1970. In October 2007, Yuen Siu Fai, who played the Princess's fatherThe University of Hong Kong, Culture & Humanities Fund, Fundraising Event (part of the close to HK$18 millions raised within two years
"Princess Changping" Gala Performance
on 9 December 2006, Lyric Theatre, The Hong Kong Academy Of Performing Arts
in 40 performances in Hong Kong and Macau in 2006 and 2007 explained to one academic on a radio talk show broadcast: "This title has become this popular today mostly by word of mouth since the mid-1960s; staged at Kai De Amusement Park Cantonese Opera Theatre. The performances of Chor Fung Ming throughout the 1970s and 1980s in newly developed satellite cities and towns were very well received. The role of male lead is extremely heavy by design and demonstrates the ‘masculine’ traits of Yam style (e.g.
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
: 走鑼邊花). The more organic actors/actresses in this role would find it more emotionally demanding. It was non-stop and exhausting after intermission." While most well-known Tang works cater to the female leads, this is an exception. The importance of Zhou Shixian, instead of the Princess, in this 1957 version is also unique compared to other versions such as ''Eternal Regret of Dynasty Ming'' (
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
: 《明末遺恨》) and ''How Jing-ngo Slew the Tiger'' (
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
: 《貞娥刺虎》), both of
Peking opera Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines instrumental music, vocal performance, mime, martial arts, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became ...
.


Notable performances


Loong Kim Sang 2019

From 28 November 2019 to 14 December 2019, the Loong Kim Sang performance commemorated 30 years since the passing of her mentor
Yam Kim Fai Yam Kim-fai (, 4 February 1913 (Lunar 29 December 1912 – 29 November 1989), also known as Ren Jianhui was a Cantonese opera actress in China and Hong Kong. Yam was most notable for her unique ability to sing in the lower register. That her op ...
.


Peking opera 2018

According to Yu Kuizhi, this production was inspired by the (late 2006 to early 2007) performances at the Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong. Yu talked specifically how much the 2006 performance of Loong Kim Sang impressed him and addressed Loong as
sensei The term "先生", read in Chinese, in Japanese, in Korean, and in Vietnamese, is an honorific used in the Sinosphere. In Japanese, the term literally means "person born before another" or "one who comes before". It is generally used ...
(meaning accomplished, to show respect to someone who has achieved a certain level of mastery in an art form or some other skill) throughout that event.


Films/CD/DVD

A film adaptation directed by
Wong Tin-lam Wong Tin-Lam (1927–2010) was a Chinese screenwriter, producer, director, and actor, who has contributed to the Hong Kong cinema scene with a career spanning six decades. He has made films in Cantonese, Mandarin and Amoy dialect. Career Wong ...
and starring some of the
Cantonese opera Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern China's Guangdong Province. It is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau and among Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. Like all versions of ...
original cast was released in 1959, while the album of full 4-hour stage version was released in 1960. In 1976, the 1959 film was remade by director
John Woo John Woo Yu-sen ( zh, t= ; born 22 September 1946) is a Hongkongers, Hong Kong film director known as a highly influential figure in the action film genre. The recipient of various accolades, including a Hong Kong Film Awards, Hong Kong Film Award ...
as '' Princess Chang Ping'' starring the Chor Fung Ming (Young Phoenix) Cantonese Opera Troupe along Leung Sing Bor and Lang Chi Bak. A live recording of the stage performance2010-06-15
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
- 戲曲視窗:粵劇導演不懂粵劇
by Chor Fung Ming (Young Phoenix)
Yam Kim Fai Yam Kim-fai (, 4 February 1913 (Lunar 29 December 1912 – 29 November 1989), also known as Ren Jianhui was a Cantonese opera actress in China and Hong Kong. Yam was most notable for her unique ability to sing in the lower register. That her op ...
br>Biography page
..support and train new talent with Chufengming (Young Phoenix) Opera Troupe or
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
- 雛鳳鳴劇團
Cantonese Opera Troupe in December 2007 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of debut is available in DVD/CD.


TV

TV stations, in
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
as well as
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
, have a few productions, sometimes renamed, relating to the 1957 version. In 1981,
ATV Home ATV Home () was a free-to-air Cantonese television channel in Hong Kong, owned and operated by Asia Television. It was formed in September 1963 as a result of the split of the bilingual Rediffusion Television subscription service (which was pri ...
adapted the play into a television drama titled ''Princess Cheung Ping'' (
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
: 武侠帝女花), in a ''
wuxia ( , literally "martial arts and chivalry") is a genre of Chinese literature, Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fantasy literature, its popularity ha ...
'' setting, starring
Damian Lau Damian Lau Chung-yan (born 14 October 1949) is a Hong Kong film and television actor, executive producer and film director. Lau has starred in many television drama series of various genres, produced by Hong Kong's TVB and ATV. Biography ...
,
Michelle Yim Michelle Yim Wai-ling (; born September 2, 1955), better known by her stage name ''Mai Suet'' (), is a Hong Kong actress and elder sister of former actress Sidney Yim Wai-ming also known by stage name ''Suet Lei'' (). She graduated from and S ...
and
David Chiang use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinat ...
. In 2003,
TVB Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB; zh, t=電視廣播有限公司) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong. The company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Canton ...
produced ''
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