Kong Shangren (1648–1718)

Written in 1699, this epic play is a dramatization of the events of 1643-45 in China, when the Ming dynasty fell to the Manchus, but not before setting up one last emperor in Nanjing in the south. Most of the main characters were real historical figures, and a love story is interwoven into it. Far from being a creaky old text, the play feels quite modern, and features intrigue, violence, romance, and a little bawdiness as well. Over all of it is the air of transience, both of the lives of men and of the reigns of empires, giving it the philosophical air of the long view of history.

It’s pretty special to be reading a text that’s several hundred years old and which contains a myriad of cultural, historical, and literary references over thousands of years. In this sense it’s obvious quite specific to China and helped me broaden my appreciation of its history, but at the same time, there is a universality to it. The Ming dynasty fell because of fiscal bankruptcy, natural disasters, factional jealousies, and highly corrupt leaders who cast a blind eye to the grave problems their nation faced, which should sound eerily familiar and pretty chilling to an American in 2020. It was certainly ironic to read of one of the generals suggesting impeachment against the emperor who “seems to be precipitating the ruin of the country.”

My only complaint about the English edition I read from 1976 was that the translation was painfully dated. The people and place names use the old pinyin, so that (for example) Ruan Dacheng becomes Juan Ta-ch’eng in the play, which is simply awful. There are also overly erudite or perhaps archaic English words sprinkled throughout the text, some examples of which are stook, yamen, nonce, rakehell, bedight, durance, as well as archaic meanings of words, e.g. con (meaning to study attentively), boots (benefits or avails), and beard (to bold confront). With that said, it’s clear a great deal of effort was put into the text, providing footnotes and several introductory sections which were very helpful to explain the context and all of the references.

All in all, it’s really quite an enjoyable read, and if this was a European text, I have to believe it would be better known outside of China, as it should be.

Quotes:
On endless nights of bliss:
“These golden cups create a thirst for wine,
And friendly voices urge us on to drink.
The hour is late; we droop with drowsiness,
Furtively clasping hands, our eager eyes
Look forward to a night of endless bliss,
Longing to loosen our hibiscus clothes.
Burn out, oh candles! Let the feast be done
Ere the palace water-clock its course has run!”

And this one which made me giggle:
Chang (a singer): To be frank, nearly all of us have families of at least eight mouths to support with our own two lips. If we are taken to the Inner Court, we shall never see them again and they will starve.
Cheng (a courtesan): We too have eight mouths depending on two strips of flesh.… (plus d'informations)