Palace of Eternal Life

Chinese drama

Chinese drama, from the Southern opera, Yuan drama, to the legend of the Ming and Qing dynasties, modern local opera, experienced nearly a thousand years of development, the emergence of a large number of outstanding writers and works, Yuan drama Guan Hanqing（关汉卿）, Wang Shifu（王实甫）, etc., Ming and Qing dynasty legend Tang Xianzu（汤显祖）, Kong Shangren（孔尚任）, Hong Sheng（洪昇）, etc.. All they can be ranked among the world's outstanding playwrights: the Romance of the Western Chamber, the Injustice to Dou E, the Orphan of the Zhao Family, the Peony Pavilion, the Peach Blossom Fan and the Palace of Eternal Life has become world classics.

Tang dynasty of Emperor Ming Huang - Li longji (李隆基)

The love story of Li Longji 李隆基, a Tang Dynasty (618-907) emperor of China, and his concubine Yang Yuhuan (杨玉环) is very widely known in China. It happened in the Palace of Eternal Life, a magnificent imperial garden located in a rural area near Chang'an City. Chang'an is where Xi'an is located today.

Li Longji was a famous emperor in Chinese history. He had many talents and had a knack of being able to spot talented people. After he became emperor, he made every effort to make the country prosperous. During the reign of Emperor Li Longji, the country became the largest, richest and strongest state in the world at that time. It was known in history as the Heyday of Kaiyuan.

However, after that, Li Longji gradually abandoned himself to sensual pleasures.

Once at his birthday party, Li Longji met Yang Yuhuan, the concubine of Longevity Princess Li Mao. She was not only beautiful but cultured and intelligent. Li Longji was captivated by her and her graceful dancing and enchanting songs. Later, she was recruited into the imperial harem and was appointed a high-ranking imperial concubine. Li Longji loved her very much and gave her a golden hairpin and a pin box as a pledge of his love. From that time on, they were inseparable and spent all days and nights together.

Because of Yang Yuhuan's status, the fortunes of her family also rose high. Her three sisters were all ennobled. Her cousin Yang Guozhong was appointed as Prime Minister.

Since he was very young, Yang Guozhong had led a dissipated life and was quite a debauched character. Later, when Yang Yuhuan and her sisters found favor with the emperor, he also rose to power. He served the emperor carefully and did his utmost to please powerful officials.

An Lushan (安禄山)

A brave general named An Lushan (安禄山) gained the emperor's trust even though he was of a different ethnic group. He was a military leader and looked down his nose at Yang Guozhong. So, the latter hated and feared him and wanted to have him killed. Once when An Lushan's troops were defeated by the Qidan, a northern tribe, An knew he should be severely punished. It was his miscalculation that had caused the defeat. Yang Guozhong had his chance to take his vengeance on him. But, Yang didn't do so for he was handsomely bribed by An Lushan. The Prime Minister advised the emperor that An Lushan was a useful person and should not be put to death since he had outstanding talents and knew many of the languages of the Western Regions. The emperor agreed and pardoned An Lushan.

An Lushan resumed his post. The luxurious life in the imperial palace and the constant roll-call of available beauties piqued An Lushan's ambition to become emperor himself. However, he hid his ambition and pretended to be absolutely loyal to Li Longji so that he gained Li’s trust. He looked down upon Yang Guozhong all the more. Yang Guozhong was humiliated since he felt he had saved An Lushan's life. He resolved again to kill An Lushan, and for this purpose, began to feed Li Longji with rumors that An Lushan was plotting a rebellion. But Li Longji didn’t believe him and believed that An Lushan was loyal to him and Yang Guozhong was not a capable Prime Minister. But, he had to take Yang Yuhuan's feelings into account. At last, he appointed An Lushan as the commander of Fanyang which was far from the imperial palace.

After An Lushan had left, Yang Guozhong arrogated all powers to himself. Li Longji neglected the affairs of the state and spent all his days and nights with Yang Yuhuan.

Sweet life

Yang Yuhuan was indeed a peerless beauty. But she had been a capricious character from childhood. When she became the favorite of the emperor, she became even more overbearing. After she was appointed a high-ranking imperial concubine, she absolutely refused to share the emperor’s love with others. At first, she marginalized other high-ranking imperial concubines. Finally, she overstepped her authority. She annoyed the emperor and was demoted and sent back to her home.

Yang Yuhuan thought that she should have the emperor's love all to herself. Little did she think that she could annoy the emperor with her capricious behave. She took out the pin box which the emperor had given her and cried bitter tears. At that moment, a eunuch named Gao Lishi came to pay his respects, and he said to her, "Don't be sad. Do you have a token that shows the love in your heart? I could bring it to the emperor for you, and he might be moved.”

Yang Yuhuan thought for a while. She picked up a pair of scissors and cut off a strand of her hair as she looked in the mirror. She gave it to Gao Lishi and told him, “Please tell the emperor that I feel very guilty and even death can not atone for my offenses. My only fear is that I will never again get the chance to see the emperor anymore. This piece of hair represents my heart.”

Li Longji also felt depressed without Yang Yuhuan. Although there were a lot of beauties in the imperial harem, no one could replace Yang Yuhuan in his heart. He missed her very much and wanted to call her back. But as an emperor, he could not contradict himself. He would lose face. Gao Lishi told him that Yang Yuhuan had left the palace with tears in her eyes. He felt sorry for her and was concerned about her. He was lost in these thoughts when Gao Lishi came in.

He said to the emperor that Yang Yuhuan deeply regretted her mistakes. Then, he gave the emperor the lock of hair. Li Longji stroked the hair which reminded him so much of Yang Yuhuan, and he felt even sadder. Gao Lishi spoke softly, "Your majesty, as you miss Lady Yang so much, why not call her back to the palace. She made mistakes, and you banished her from the palace; now she has shown her repentance, you can call her back. It will only highlight your magnanimity.”

Hearing these words, Li Longji said to Gao Lishi, "You are really my right-hand man! Go and bring Yang Yuhuan back to the palace immediately." Gao Lishi did as the emperor ordered.

From then on, Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan's love grew still stronger. Her favorite fruit was lichee, but it was grown in the south, far away from the capital Chang'an. Within a short period, a freshly picked lichee would dry up or rot. In order to get Yang Yuhuan the freshest lichee, the emperor ordered his men to ride night and day, changing post-horses in one post house after another to bring fresh lichees back to the north from the south. When the lichees were brought back, they had almost the same look and flavor as when they had just been picked. The emperor cared nothing about the trouble and cost of such an operation. All he cared about was pleasing his love with her favorite fresh fruit.

Yang Yuhuan felt very grateful. She did everything she could to please the emperor in order to maintain her position. Knowing that Li Longji was fond of music and many of his imperial concubines were skilled musicians, she wanted to compose a new melody to express her love for the emperor and to showcase her own outstanding musical talent.

One night, when Yang Yuhuan had almost fallen asleep, she thought she heard someone calling her name. She got up and walked outside and saw a girl standing there, who said that she was a fairy from the Moon Palace and the Goddess of the Moon had asked her to pick up Yang Yuhuan and bring her for a stroll around the moon. The fairy blew on Yang Yuhuan, and instantly a cloud rose from her feet. In a twinkling, she was transported to the Moon Palace. Led by the fairy, she walked down the hall. There she saw a group of fairies dancing to graceful music. Yang Yuhuan was intoxicated with the music, but the fairies and the hall disappeared in a trice. She grew anxious and cried out, "Fairy, where are you?”

"Wake up, your majesty!" cried a maid of honor. Yang Yuhuan opened her eyes and realized that it had been just a dream. However, the celestial music lingered in her ears, and the graceful dance still shimmered before her eyes. She held a lute in her arms and plucked it absent-mindedly for a while, writing down what she could remember of the dream music. Finally, the new melody was completed.

Hearing that Yang Yuhuan had composed a new melody, the emperor was keen to see her handiwork. He opened the music score; he read carefully and sighed again and again in appreciation and praised the work a number of times. Yang Yuhuan was very happy. Li Longji asked if they could practice the new melody together. She agreed with pleasure.

In the moonlight, the emperor changed the melody, and beat time according to the music score. At the same time, Yang Yuhuan danced lightly following the rhythm. When he finished singing, Li Longji said, "The melody is very expressive and has a special pleasing quality about it. What is the name of it?"

"I dreamed about the Moon Palace last night. In my dream, a group of fairies was dancing elegantly in feather dresses. So I want to name it the Feather Dress Dance. Can I have your agreement, Your Majesty?"

The emperor agreed enthusiastically. He promised to have the imperial band perform it, but he worried that they would not be able to capture the profound meaning of the music.

The emperor asked if he could perform it personally under her instruction.

It was Yang Yuhuan's birthday. The Palace of Eternal Youth was decorated in magnificent style. In order to celebrate her birthday, the emperor inscribed a horizontal board for her personally. The court officials and imperial concubines were all there. Of course, fresh lychees were freely available. During the feast, the imperial band performed the Feather Dress Dance, and Yang Yuhuan danced for the emperor. She was dressed in white embroidered robe and a red skirt, with a peacock feather fan in her hands. The emperor was very happy and accompanied her on the drums. The officials and imperial concubines praised the performance. There were cheers and laughter everywhere in the Palace of Eternal Youth.

Soon it came to the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. It was the Chinese Double Seven Festival, the day on which according to legend, the mythological lovers Niu Lang (Cowboy) and Zhi Nu (the Weaving Girl) were allowed to meet on a bridge of magpies across the Milky Way. The typical activity on that day was to pray for intelligence. Young girls would offer up all kinds of fruits to Zhi Nu and would pray for her divine help in perfecting their needlework skills.

In the evening, the emperor came to the Palace of Eternal Youth. In the moonlight, he heard indistinct laughter. Just as he was wondering what had happened, a eunuch told him that Yang Yuhuan was praying for better needlework skills. The emperor told the eunuch not to announce his arrival and approached Yang Yuhuan quietly. Pomanders, flowers, and fruits were placed on the table in the center of the palace. Yang Yuhuan was praying with a burning incense stick in her hands, "I come here to bum incense devoutly; I pray that our love will last forever and ever."

At that moment, a maid of honor realized the emperor had arrived, and she signaled to Yang Yuhuan. Hurriedly she stood up and saluted.

The emperor asked, "What are you doing here?”

"It's the Double Seven Festival. I have placed some fruit here, and I am praying for cleverness", replied Yang Yuhuan.

The emperor smiled and said, "You are so deft with your hands, why to bother to pray for cleverness also?”

Yang Yuhuan's face turned red on hearing this. By then, the maids of honor had left, leaving them alone in the palace. They sat down hand in hand. Li Longji said to Yang Yuhuan: "Niu Lang and Zhi Nu are separated by the Milky Way and can only meet once a year. How unbearable such separation would be!”

Yang Yuhuan said, "Although they can only meet once a year, their love will last forever and ever. However, our love may not last that long."

The emperor said, "How come you say that? How can their love compare with ours?"

Looking at the stars, Yang Yuhuan said with great emotion, "You have given me so much of your love. Tonight, I want to say...." Here she stopped.

The emperor said, "Don't hesitate, speak out."

Yang Yuhuan choked back her sobs and said, "You have loved me far more than others in the imperial palace. But I worry that our love may not last so long.”

The emperor comforted her at once and said, "Don't be so sad. No one can separate us.”

Yang Yuhuan said, "If so, let's pledge our love under the stars of Niu Lang and Zhi Nu, swearing to love each other forever.”

The emperor replied, "Right here, let us burn some incense and pledge our love together.”

Then, they burnt incense and pledged, "We, Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan, will marry each other generation after generation and never be separated!”

An Lushan rebelled and Yang Yuhuan died

Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan were lost in the passion of their love. It seemed that nothing was more important to them. However, as emperor, Li Longji had already fallen into a severe crisis. During the time he had been reconciling with, and falling deeper in love with, Yang Yuhuan, An Lushan had launched a rebellion.

An Lushan was a cunning adversary. After he was appointed as the commander at Fanyang, he had placed several of his followers in the capital to gain intelligence about what was happening in the court. Therefore, he knew everything that was going on. Every year, An Lushan presented rare animals and treasures to the emperor in order to win back his favor. On the surface, he feigned an attitude of loyalty, but in secret, he prepared for rebellion.

An Lushan's plot could not possibly be kept secret forever. Yang Guozhong reported An Lushan's ambition to the emperor repeatedly, but the emperor didn't believe him. He thought An Lushan would never rebel. Later, the princes and other court officials also advised him that An Lushan was just about to lead a revolt. Li Longji began to really worry about this time. After all, An Lushan was a commander with large numbers of crack troops — in all more than a hundred thousand soldiers. If he really wanted to rebel, it would be a disaster. So the emperor sent people to Fan Yang to inquire about the situation. However, the official he sent there accepted a bribe from An Lushan. When he came back, he reported that An Lushan remained as loyal as ever to the court. Li Longji believed him.

Reassured Li Longji indulged himself in pleasure and neglected state affairs. The heyday of the Kai Yuan period had come to an end. As court politics atrophied, officials grew more corrupt, and complaints from civilians were heard everywhere in the country. An Lushan saw his chance and launched a rebellion in the name of sending a punitive expedition against Yang Guozhong.

Li Longji was ill-prepared for this, and An Lushan's troops drove straight into the capital.

One day, as Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan were playing in the garden, Yang Guozhong rushed in and told Li Longji that the officers guarding Tong Guan had already been defeated and had surrendered to An Lushan's troops which would enter Chang'an soon. He suggested the emperor flee to Sichuan for some days.

Guarded by his imperial guards, Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan evacuated Chang'an and hurriedly decamped to Sichuan. When they came to Maweipo near Xingping in Shaanxi, there was no food or water left. It was very hot, and the soldiers were extremely hungry and tired. At that time, a political opponent of Yang Guozhong arranged for some soldiers to kill him, pointing out to him that the Yang family had ruined the country and left An Lushan with no choice but to rise in rebellion. The soldiers were convinced, and they killed Yang Guozhong.

Yang Guozhong's death astonished the emperor. Yang Yuhuan was terrified. However, the soldiers' anger was not calmed. They surrounded the post-house of the emperor, shouting that Yang Yuhuan be put to death - otherwise they could not guarantee the emperor's safety.

The emperor didn't know what to do. On the one hand, he was loath to kill his love; on the other hand, he was afraid of the rebels and shocked at their nerve. He said to the commander of the imperial guards, "It was right for Yang Guozhong to be executed because of his crimes. But Yang Yuhuan has been living inside the palace all the time, and she has had nothing to do with the rebellion. She cannot be faulted."

At this time, the voices of the soldiers became louder and louder. Gao Lishi knew that the anger of the soldiers would only grow until Yang Yuhuan was put to death. Therefore, he said to Li Longji, “She is blameless, but she is the sister of Yang Guozhong. They have killed Yang Guozhong - if she still stands at your side, they will never be able to rest easy. Your majesty, please think carefully, only if the soldiers calm down will you be safe.”

Li Longji realized that if he didn't put Yang Yuhuan to death, he would be killed himself. He and Yang Yuhuan wept on each other's shoulders.

Yang Yuhuan knew that she had very little chance of survival. She went down on her knees and said to the emperor, "Your majesty, you have loved me so much. I can never pay back the deep love and affection you have bestowed on me - even with my life. Now that you're in danger, please allow me to commit suicide so we can avert this hopeless situation. As long as you're safe, my death will be worthwhile." Then she wept uncontrollably in the emperor's arms.

The emperor said, "Don't speak like that! If you die, what good is it for me to be an emperor? I'd rather lose my state than lose you, my love.”

”You have shown me tremendous kindness. But now, I'm afraid that there is no way out. If you insist on not yielding, we will all die, which will increase my sense of guilt. Please let me go and save the state.”

Gao Lishi added his voice, “Since the princess has decided to sacrifice her life nobly, we hope that you, Your Majesty, will attach most importance to the state and sacrifice what you love for the greater good.”

Li Longji cried out in great pain and pulled at his hair, but finally, he calmed, “There is nothing we can do except comply with her wishes. Go Lishi, let her be.”

Gao Lishi brought Yang Yuhuan to a Buddhist shrine behind the post house. Yang Yuhuan told Gao Lishi to serve the emperor carefully. Then, she took out the gold pin and the pin box which had been given by the emperor and asked Gao Lishi to bury them with her. Gao Lishi agreed to all her requests. Then, Yang Yuhuan unfurled a white silk scarf from her waist which she used to hang herself.

Allowed live together in heaven

An Lushan occupied Chang'an and became the new emperor. He called himself "mighty emperor" and titled his reign, Da Yan. After that, he became more and worse- tempered. The eunuchs around him had a lot of complaints. An Lushan had a son, named An Qing'en, whose mother was An Lushan's concubine. He was much loved by An Lushan who wanted to make him crown prince. An Lushan's eldest son, An Qingxu was dissatisfied and plotted against his father with the disgruntled eunuchs and finally killed him.

The rebel army split into factions and was defeated by the imperial forces. Two years later, Chang'an was recaptured, and Li Longji came back to the capital.

By that time，the crown prince, Li Heng had been placed on the throne. Li Longji was emperor no more, and he felt lonely without Yang Yuhuan. When he thought of her death, he got sadder.

One day, in the lingering autumn rains, Li Longji came to the palace of eternal youth again. There were withered flowers and fading leaves everywhere. The rain could be heard falling on the phoenix trees, and the atmosphere was most dismal. Standing where Yang Yuhuan had prayed for cleverness, Li Longji thought of the scene where they had pledged eternal love and tears streamed down his cheeks. He spoke to himself, "My love, I had thought that we could grow old together, but now we are separated forever, and I can only live in eternal regret.”

Just then, he heard two maids of honor calling him. They said that they were maidservants of the princess Yang Yuhuan who had personally sent them here to pick the emperor up.

Li Longji said, "Don't cheat me, girls. She hung herself in Maweipo.”

They continued, “There is something you don't know. Lady Yang was originally a fairy from heaven. Because she made a small mistake, she was banished from heaven and forced to live in the world. After her death in Maweipo, Zhi Nu in heaven judged that she had repented her error, and allowed her to come back. Her love for you greatly moved Zhi Nu. So, she has allowed you two to live in heaven and never separate. Today, Lady Yang ordered us to pick you up and meet her in heaven. Please let us make haste.”

Hearing this, Li Longji was overjoyed. He left the Palace of Eternal Youth at once and flew towards heaven towards his eternal love.