Romance of the Western Chamber

Chinese Drama

8 Scenes in this article from The Story of the Western Wing (Romance of the Western Chamber) 

Artist: Qiu Ying（仇英）, ca. 1494-1552 

Medium: Ink and color on silk 

Dimensions: H x W (leaf a): 18.5 x 38 cm (7 5/16 x 14 15/16 in) 

Type: Album, Painting 

Origin: China 

Topic: landscape, horse, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), woman, garden, banana tree, China, blue-and-green style, rock, Chinese Art 

Credit Line: Gift of Charles Lang Freer 

Date: 18th-19th century 

Period: Qing dynasty 

Accession Number: F1911.505a-h 

Data Source: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Chinese drama, from the Southern opera, Yuan drama, to the legend of the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty, 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 (西厢记), the Injustice to Dou E (窦娥冤), the Orphan of the Zhao Family (赵氏孤儿), the Peony Pavilion (牡丹亭), the Peach Blossom Fan (桃花扇)  and the Palace of Eternal Life (长生殿) have become world classics.

Background - Romance of the Western Chamber

During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), there was a well-known Temple called Pujiu in Hezhong Prefecture in Shanxi Province. It was built during the reign of Wu Zetian, the Empress of the Tang Dynasty. Cui Jue, the then Prime Minister, was ordered to take charge of the construction. Later, Cui Jue passed away. His wife, Mrs. Cui, and Cui Yingying, their only daughter, escorted his coffin as they brought him to his hometown, Boling in Hebei Province to bury him. But because of the long-distance and some unexpected delays, they arrived at the Pujiu Temple in urgent need of some rest. They were found a place to sleep in the western chambers of the temple. Mrs. Cui sent a letter to Zheng Heng, Yingying's fiance, asking him to accompany them to Boling. Mrs. Cui and Yingying had a personal maid, named Hongniang. She was very clever and had served as Yingying's maid since she was a little girl.

The 19-year-old Yingying was pretty and smart. She excelled in many things such as needlework, poetry, calligraphy, and calculus. When her father was alive, he promised Yingying to Zheng Heng, the eldest son of Minister Zheng and Mrs. Cui's nephew. The pair seemed well-matched, and everything appeared to point towards a happy marriage.

Unfortunately, Prime Minister Cui passed away before the wedding ceremony could take place. Yingying had to observe a period of mourning for her father, and as a result, the wedding was delayed.

Meeing - Romance of the Western Chamber

One day in late spring, the temple received a few pilgrims. Seeing Yingying looking so depressed all day long, Mrs. Cui asked Hongniang to bring her for a stroll outside. In the Buddhist-worshiping hall, they met a young scholar.

He was Zhang Gong, often called Junrui, son of the Minister of Rites. But his parents had both passed away years ago. At this time, he was preparing to go to the capital for the imperial civil service examinations. When he arrived in Hezhong Prefecture, he came to pay a visit to his old friend, Du Que. Unexpectedly, Du Que had become a general and was leading a battalion of over 100,000 soldiers stationed at Puguan. Zhang Gong wasn’t able to meet his friend. Instead, he heard that there was a famous temple nearby and decided to visit it. During his visit, he met Yingying and Hongniang, who were chatting away happily. He was instantly attracted by Yingying’s beauty. And Yingying, seeing a handsome lad staring at her, blushed furiously.

Hongniang advised Yingying to leave the hall. Yingying looked back at Zhang Gong before leaving though, which made the lad feel as if time had frozen for that moment. Zhang Gong learned from the monks that this beauty was the daughter of Prime Minister Cui and that many things had happened before and after Cui’s death. Zhang Gong thought for a while and then asked the Abbot to allow him to stay in the temple to review his studies for the imperial examination. His sincere attitude convinced the Abbot to agree to rent him a room in the back yard.

Mrs. Cui would often burn incense at the temple and pray to Buddha for her late husband. She hoped that the Abbot would perform the Buddhist rituals for her departed husband and so she sent Hongniang to ask the Abbot. When she came to the Abbot’s room, Hongniang found him talking with the handsome scholar. After she had asked about the Buddhist ritual, Zhang Gong bowed to Hongniang, and asked,

“Are you Hongniang, maid of Yingying?”

Hongniang bowed reluctantly and replied, “Yes, I am. What can I do for you?”

Zhang Gong said, “My name is Zhang Gong -1 am also called Junrui. I was born in Xiluo. I am 23 years old and am unmarried.”

Hongniang was so angry at his words that she interrupted him. “I didn’t ask for your life story!” she said.

Founding that Hongniang was angry, Zhang Gong quickly asked, “Does Yingying always take a walk outside?”

Hongniang was now very annoyed and said to Zhang Gong, “How can you, a scholar, act in such an impolite way? You must know that no contact is allowed between men and women, just as the sage Mencius said. Mrs. Cui is very strict with Yingying. She seldom appears in public. Her business is none of yours. Please don’t be so rude. If you said those words to Mrs. Cui, she wouldn’t let you off so easily, I promise. Don’t talk any more nonsense.”

After saying this, Hongniang went back to her room and left Zhang Gong speechless. He had no choice but to continue reviewing his lessons.

Hongniang went back to their western chamber. After reporting to Mrs. Cui, she came to Yingying. She couldn't help laughing when thinking about the dumb-looking lad. Yingying asked her what she found so funny. Hongniang gave her a full description of what Zhang Gong had said and how she had responded. These words reminded Yingying of the scholar that she had seen in the hall the day before. That man had looked gentle and refined. Moreover, he had glanced at her with great admiration. Yingying’s heart was all a-flutter at the very thought of it. She thought for a while and said to Hongniang:

“Don’t tell my mother. Now that you have given him a lesson, it is not necessary to tell anyone else. It is getting dark. I’ll go to the garden to bum joss sticks. Please fetch me some now.”

Hongniang obeyed Yingying’s command and accompanied Yingying to the garden. After staying in the temple a few days, Zhang Gong learned that Yingying went to the garden to burn joss sticks every night. One day when the night fell, he hid behind the wall by the lake, in an attempt to get a good look at Yingying. Before long, he heard the sound of the gate and then saw Yingying and Hongniang entering the garden. Yingying came to the altar and burnt three joss sticks. She prayed, “The first stick is for Father. I wish you may ascend to Heaven as soon as possible; the second is for Mother. I wish her good health, and the third is for…”

Yingying paused. Hongniang realized what Yingying was thinking about. She said, “Let me complete your prayer. This stick is for you. It is for the wish that you marry your true soulmate.”

The canny maid had indeed spoken Yingying’s innermost feelings. But Yingying made no response. She just sighed.

Seeing this, Zhang Gong couldn’t help himself and poetry started to come out of his mouth, inspired as he was to be in Yingying’s presence. Immediately Yingying realized that Zhang Gong was there watching them. Hongniang also recognized his voice, and said with some irritation, “That’s the silly scholar, who is 23 years old but still isn’t married.”

The poem touched a chord with Yingying. Instantly she composed a reply using the rhyming scheme of the original. Yingying’s poem made Zhang Gong love her even more. What happiness he thought he would enjoy if he could chant poems forever to this literary beauty! He walked up to Yingying,

Zhang Gong bowed several times, and Hongniang said to Yingying, “Miss Yingying, let’s go back now. Someone is coming. We will be in trouble if Mrs. Cui finds out.”

Reluctantly, Yingying was persuaded to return, but before she did, she glanced briefly at Zhang Gong, which almost gave him a heart attack. Back in his room, Zhang Gong’s head was filled with this girl’s beauty, and he couldn’t fall asleep all night long.

First Marriage - Romance of the Western Chamber

On the 15th day of the second lunar month, the Abbot took his disciples to conduct Buddhist rituals for Prime Minister Cui. To get a chance to meet Yingying, Zhang Gong also came to the hall. He was afraid of Mrs. Cui however. Therefore, he had to pretend to be one of the Abbot’s relatives who had come to bum joss sticks for his parents. On this day, Zhang Gong met Yingying again. But due to Mrs. Cui's presence, they weren’t able to talk to each other.

The news soon spread that Mrs. Cui and Yingying, a legendary beauty, were staying in the Pujiu Temple. A gang of bandits led by Sun Feihu saw this as an opportunity for mischief and malice. Sun’s troops launched a raid on the temple and demanded that Yingying come with them and marry the bandit leader. The whole temple was in a panic. At this time, Sun Feihu sent a message to the effect that Yingying must be surrendered to him; otherwise, the temple would be burned down and everyone killed. The Abbot hastened to talk with Mrs. Cui over possible means of escape. Then Mrs. Cui discussed with Yingying. Unfortunately, they failed to find any way out. Mrs. Cui was aghast at their cruel fate. They both began to choke with sobs.

Yingying said, “Now that I am the target of the bandits, we have no choice but to follow their instructions. At least, the others in the temple will survive.”

Mrs. Cui cried, “I am over 60 years old already. I have no fear of death. But I won’t have my dear daughter lose her life. Besides, this would be a terrible scandal for our family. I would never be able to hold up my head when I meet your father in the next life.”

Yingying said, “So we have only one way out. Anyone who successfully drives away the bandits can marry me. I would rather marry a heroic stranger than a bandit like Sun Feihu.”

Although reluctant to agree, Mrs. Cui thought such a plan was preferable to falling into the hands of a gang of brigands. Therefore, she asked the Abbot to gather everyone and tell them their decision.

There was no response, as none of them had any idea about how the bandits might be driven off. Eventually, Zhang Gong said, “I want to have a try.”

Mrs. Cui was happy with his words. Yingying was excited at the prospect of the man she was so intrigued by seeking to save her. She began to pray that he would be successful. Mrs. Cui also realized that he was the lad who had been burning joss sticks for his parents in the Hall of the Buddha that day. She eagerly asked him how he planned to drive off the bandits. Zhang Gong asked Hongniang to see Yingying back to her chamber, and then he sent a monk to go to tell Sun Feihu that Yingying was in mourning for her father and that if he wished to marry her, he must withdraw as far as an arrow could shoot and wait for three days until the religious services were finished. At that time, Yingying would change into her bridal robes and be escorted to him. Hearing this, Sun Feihu immediately gave the order to retreat.

Zhang Gong told Mrs. Cui and the Abbot that he had a good friend named Du Que, who gained a great reputation as the General on the White Horse. He was now in command of an army of 100,000 men at Puguan. That was only about 25 km from the Pujiu Temple, and once he received the message about what was going on, he was sure to come to the rescue. A monk in the temple broke through the tight bandit encirclement and headed for Puguan to deliver the message. Du Que read the signed letter from Zhang Gong and immediately led a consignment of his men to the Pujiu Temple. Sun Feihu was no match for the General. In no time, he and his men had laid down their arms and surrendered.

Mrs. Cui, the Abbot, and Zhang Gong all came out to thank the General for his help. But he dared not stay long because of his onerous military duties. Straight away, he led his men back to their barracks. Before he left, he expressed the hope that Mrs. Cui would keep her promise and allow Yingying to be betrothed to Zhang Gong.

Broken Promise - Romance of the Western Chamber

After the General left, Mrs. Cui invited Zhang Gong to move into the study in the western chamber. Moreover, she promised to organize a feast to express her appreciation for his efforts to save their lives. Zhang Gong was exultant.

The next day, Mrs. Cui made great preparations and sent Hongniang to invite the lad. Zhang Gong thought his dream had finally come true. Therefore, he dressed himself up carefully and happily made his way to the feast.

Mrs. Cui met Zhang Gong and said, “If it had not been for your help, we could not be alive today. Now, I would like to express my appreciation.” Then, she told Hongniang to ask Yingying to come and acknowledge Zhang Gong as her brother. Zhang Gong was taken aback. This obviously was not a good sign. Yingying also realized that her mother had changed her mind.

After Yingying went back for a rest, Zhang Gong asked Mrs, Cui, directly, “You have promised that whoever drove away the bandits would marry Yingying. I asked the General for his help and successfully saved you all. I thought you would keep your promise. So why do you ask me to acknowledge Yingying as my sister?”

Mrs. Cui said, “It is you to whom we owe our lives. But when my husband was alive, he promised Yingying to my nephew, Zheng Heng. We are now staying in the temple to wait for his arrival. He will accompany us to escort my husband’s coffin back to his hometown. If I give you Yingying’s hand, how can I face Zheng Heng when he arrives? You are a talented scholar and will have no problem finding an outstanding girl. As a reward, I’d like to pay you handsomely for your efforts.”

Zhang Gong was very angry, and said, “I don’t want your money. Now that you have gone back on your word, I will leave?”

Taken aback at Zhang Gong’s anger, Mrs. Cui asked Hongniang to invite him back for a rest. She tried to pretend it was all because he was a little drunk. Back in his chamber, Zhang Gong sadly lamented about how Mrs. Cui had failed to keep her promise. Hongniang tried to persuade him, saying, “I know what you are thinking about. My mistress feels as sad as you. Tonight she will go to the garden to bum joss sticks as usual. You may play the lute outside to express your feelings. My mistress will surely understand.”

Blind Date - Romance of the Western Chamber

When night fell, Yingying came to the garden. As the joss stick started burning, she heard some a lute melody drifting on the wind outside the garden wall, accompanied by some poems sung by Zhang Gong, which told of his yearning for her. Yingying was deeply moved and began to weep, and Zhang Gong felt even sadder as he heard Yingying’s sobs.

Back in his chamber, Zhang Gong fell ill due to his sorrow and his exposure to the cold. Yingying felt sorry for him and sent Hongniang to visit him. Zhang Gong knew why Hongniang had come and was very touched. He knew that Yingying was concerned about him. This helped him to recover. He asked Hongniang to deliver a letter to Yingying enclosed with a poem. Yingying wrote another poem in reply and sent Hongniang to take it to Zhang Gong. Zhang Gong felt excited at Yingying’s poem, as in the poem, she arranged an appointment with him in the garden at night.

With the moonlight flooding down on the garden, Yingying came to bum joss sticks with Hongniang. Yingying told Hongniang that she wanted to be alone for a moment and asked her to return to their quarters by herself. Hongniang pretended to follow her order. At this time, Zhang Gong jumped down from the wall. Yingying heard the sound but didn’t see anybody. She thought it must be some stranger breaking into the garden. So she hurriedly called Hongniang to come back. Hongniang rushed back and immediately went to check what had happened. Zhang Gong appeared then and bowed to Yingying. Yingying felt very embarrassed and angrily said, “Zhang Gong, How dare you to jump into the garden when I am burning joss sticks inside! What if my mother found out?”

Zhang Gong couldn’t believe that Yingying was scolding him like this. He felt confused and at a loss as to what to do. Hongniang told him to apologize to her mistress. Zhang Gong thus kneeled and pledged that he would never do this anymore. Yingying scolded him some more and then left with Hongniang.

Zhang Gong didn’t realize why Yingying had suddenly changed her mind. He felt so ashamed and angry that his health fell into an even more serious condition. He was in a lethargic state and didn’t recover even when he was treated by a doctor and had all kinds of medicine prescribed by the doctor. Yingying was concerned about the lad’s condition. She knew all too well that it is she who had caused this trouble for him, and thus only she could solve his problem. Hence, she wrote another poem and sent Hongniang to take it to Zhang Gong. After he read the poem, Zhang Gong was overjoyed because he knew that Yingying would visit him. This helped him to recover rapidly.

That night, Yingying went to visit Zheng Gong with Hongniang. They poured out their hearts to each other, swore eternal love and finally got married. After that, she stayed together with the lad almost every night. But before long, Mrs. Cui found out. She confronted Hongniang, who after some persuasion made a full confession about Yingying’s secret appointments with Zhang Gong. Mrs. Cui was shocked. She blamed Hongniang for her failure to stop her mistress from behaving so recklessly. Hongniang explained, “This is not my fault, nor is it my mistress’s or Zheng Gong’s. Instead, it is your fault. You made the promise that whoever drove away the bandits would be betrothed to my mistress. Zhang Gong did as you asked, but you went back on your word. Now that you won’t allow them to marry, you shouldn’t continue to allow Zhang Gong to live in the room in the western chamber. You broke your promise but still put him up right in our backyard. They saw each other every day and inevitably fell in love with each other. How could it be anyone’s fault but yours?”

Mrs. Cui was reduced to silence at these words. She had to admit her fault. Now that it had happened and was beyond fixing, Yingying would be considered ill-bred and would be ridiculed by others if this scandal ever became public. Therefore, Mrs. Cui promised Zhang Gong that he could marry Yingying only if he attained the highest level in the imperial examinations, as no common man would be allowed to marry a Cui girl.

Fame and Second Marriage - Romance of the Western Chamber

Zhang Gong said goodbye to Yingying and went to the capital. Half a year later, Zhang Gong triumphed in his examinations, receiving the top award for outstanding scholarship. He wrote immediately to Yingying. Yingying was excited at the news and immediately wrote a letter in reply. She sent a messenger to take the letter and some underclothes to him, which made Zhang Gong heart soar with love. He could hardly wait to start for Hezhong Prefecture to enjoy his reunion with Yingying. At this time, Zheng Heng finally arrived at Pujiu Temple.

Zheng Heng had been delayed with his own business at home after he had received Mrs. Cui’s letter. But he came quickly when he heard the news that Yingying had been betrothed to Zhang Gong. He rushed to the temple to meet Mrs. Cui and told her a lie that he had met Zhang Gong in the capital. Zheng Hong told her that he had already married the daughter of Prime Minister Wei after coming first in the civil service examinations. Mrs. Cui was enraged, and she poured out torrents of abuse against Zhang Gong, and immediately decided to proceed with the original plan to marry Yingying to Zheng Heng.

At this time, Zhang Gong arrived. He had been made Chief of Hezhong Prefecture. Mrs. Cui said to him in a furious tone, “How can you dare to come here after marrying the daughter of Prime Minister Wei?”

Zhang Gong was confused. Mrs. Cui repeated Zheng Heng’s accusations, and Hongniang also jeered and sneered at him. Zhang Gong realized that he was trapped. He swore to them that he hadn’t married anybody. Moved by his sincere words, Hongniang smelt a rat, and so advised Yingying to ask Zhang Gong herself. Once again, Zhang Gong expressed his love for her.

Meanwhile, the General also came to the Pujiu Temple. He had intended to attend the wedding ceremony but instead witnessed these dramatic intrigues. The General knew his friend well and vouched that there was no way that he would behave in such a dishonorable fashion. He suggested that Zheng Heng meets with Zhang Gong.

At this time, Zheng Heng was dressed up, waiting to marry Yingying. Seeing Zhang Gong and the General, he realized that his lie had been exposed and he knelt to beg for mercy. Mrs. Cui scolded him but turned to the General in the hope of sparing him further punishment. Zheng Heng fled in panic with the scorn of the people ringing in his ears. He felt so ashamed that he committed suicide.

Mrs. Cui admitted that she had treated Zhang Gong most unjustly. Therefore, she prepared a banquet to celebrate the wedding ceremony for Yingying and Zhang Gong in the presence of the Abbot and the General. The lovers were finally able to become husband and wife.