This play is adapted from an old work, The River of Yin and Yang. It tells the story of Zhang Mao-shen, who accidentally crossed the boundary of the nether world to find a woman looking exactly like his wife Li Gui-lian. As soon as his wife saw him, she hurried away in panic, leaving her buckets and...Read more
This play is adapted from an old work, The River of Yin and Yang. It tells the story of Zhang Mao-shen, who accidentally crossed the boundary of the nether world to find a woman looking exactly like his wife Li Gui-lian. As soon as his wife saw him, she hurried away in panic, leaving her buckets and carrying pole behind. Confused, Zhang inquired about the way to return to the nether world. When he did so, he found out that Gui-lian was being punished because she had jested at the moon goddess on the night of the Moon Festival. Zhang had meant to rescue his wife from the nether world, but Gui-lian was hesitant, knowing on the one hand the difficulties involved; on the other hand, she couldn't bring herself to leave Ni Mu, who had been most loving towards her. Which side should she choose? A legitimate husband who was always away on business traveling, or a tender loving, albeit ghostly lover? The playwright Wu Ming-lun used 「extradition」 as the notion to develop. With the symbol of the River that separates yin and yang realms and only allows in but not out, he weaves a discourse of undergoing calamities/attaining lofty dispassion, and a contrast of extractor/extracted, alluding to the Chang』E mythology, Lady Yu and Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty, Du Zi-chun, and even Greek mythology.
The leading female character, Zhu Min-ling, was trained as a disciple by Dai Qi-xia, and possesses the most adroit skill of walking in wooden heels. Taishi Arts Award Visual Arts Awardee, Shi Gongzhonghao, envisioned the stage design. He used black and white paper arts to represent the netherworld.
Category | Xiqu(Traditional Opera) |
Type | Taiwanese Opera |
Chinese Title | 闇河渡 |
Group | Jing-Ju Opera Troupe of National Taiwan College of Performing Arts |
Creative staff | Taiwanese Opera |
Subtitle | Mandarin Chinese |
Premiere | 2013-11-29 |
Venue | Novel Hall for performing arts,Taipei |
Duration | 105min |
Image Source | Jing-Ju Opera Troupe of National Taiwan College of Performing Arts |
Other Works | Rashomon Children Theatre -- 7 Dwarfs in Forest |