PAN JINLIAN:  THE STORY OF ONE WOMAN AND FOUR MEN

                                             (AN ABSURDIST SICHUAN OPERA)[i]

                                                                   Wei Minglun

 

 

				SECTIONS

		Prologue
		The First Man
		The Second Man
		The Third Man
		The Fourth Man
		Epilogue
		Notes

TIME:        Not divided by dynasties or epochs, no definite time period.

PLACE:     Not limited by regional or national boundaries, no definite location.

SCENERY:    No complicated scenery is needed, but there must be special lighting. In the

                   background, a big Chinese character "xi"(play) changes from clerical script to regular script, to running script, to seal script, to grass script with each act.[ii] Two flights of steps are placed on either side of the stage.  On the left side is written the character "huang"; on the right side is written the character "dan."

[iii]

CHARACTERS IN THE PLAY

                   PAN JINLIAN, a maid in the household of ZHANG DAHU, later married to WU DALANG

                   WU SONG (alternate name: WU ERLANG), PAN JINLIAN's brother-in-law

                   Wu DALANG (shortened version: WU DA), PAN JINLIAN's husband

                   XIMEN QING, PAN JINLIAN's lover

                   ZHANG DAHU, a well-to-do member of the gentry

                   OLD WOMAN WANG, PAN JINLIAN's neighbor

                   BULLY A

                   BULLY B

                   BULLY C

CHARACTERS OUTSIDE THE PLAY:

                   LU SHASHA, a character in the contemporary novel Huayuan jie wuhao (No. 5 Garden Street)

                   SHI NAI'AN, author of the fourteenth century novel Shuihu chuan (The Water Margin)

                   WU ZETAIN, a Tang dynasty empress who reigned from 690 to 705

                   ANNA KARENINA, the heroine in Leo Tolstoy's novel of the same name

                   FEMALE CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE PEOPLE'S COURT

                   JIA BAOYU, the hero in the eighteenth century novel Honglou meng (Dream of the Red Chamber) by Cao Xueqin

                   TRADITIONAL OFFICIAL OF THE SEVENTH RANK

                   A PUNK

                   HONGNIANG, the famous match-making maid in the thirteenth century play Xixiang ji (Romance of the Western Chamber)

                   SHANGGUAN WAN'ER, a woman official in the court of Empress Wu Zetian

                   Several supporting characters who play the various roles both in and outside the play: soldiers, neighbors, hunter, tiger, manservant, the four women, honor guards, and others.

 

                                                                   PROLOGUE   < back to top >

 

CHORUS: A talented scholar wrote a work of fiction,

                   The character Wu Song appears on stage.

                   Knives flash in the funeral hall,

                   Spattering blood on the mourning dress.

                   (The big curtain rises slowly, lights gradually become brighter, revealing a tableau of characters in the scene of "Wu Song Killing His Sister-in-Law" in the traditional opera. Against the backdrop of white drapes and white candles, WU SONG, with knife in hand, stares angrily at PAN JINLIAN; two soldiers hold OLD WOMAN WANG; one neighbor is recording her confession; three others look on in horror.  As soon as the chorus stops, the characters in the tableau come alive.) 

WU SONG: (Shouts.) Kill!

                   (OLD WOMAN WANG lets out a cry, rushing to the door to escape. She is dragged back by the soldiers and they carry her offstage. The neighbors scatter and exit. WU SONG kills his sister-in-law according to the stage convention of traditional opera, with his knife flashing and her hair flying in the midst of a flurry of acrobatics and tumbling. WU SONG holds the knife in his teeth, tears open PAN JINLIAN's mourning dress, and plunges the knife into her chest. She screams, her hands clutch at her chest, her body drops down, slowly, like a falling leaf. Lights cut. The stage is completely dark showing only PAN JINlIAN lying in a pool of blood, her eyes closed. Gradually she fades from view. The sound of wooden clappers is heard. A scholar from ancient times appears on the left steps, holding a book bound in the traditional style of thread binding.)

ANCIENT SCHOLAR:

                   The bite of poisonous snake,

                   The sting of scorpion,

                   Both are quite harmless,

                   Compared to the vicious heart of a woman!

                   My dear audience: In Chapter Twenty-Six of my book, Wu Song kills the adulteress, takes out her heart and liver, and cuts off her head. He then heads straight for the Lion Pavilion. If you want to know what happens next, listen to the next chapter.

                   (A modern young lady appears on the right steps, holding a pair of binoculars in her hands.)

MODERN LADY: Who's telling stories?

ANCIENT SCHOLAR: Who's talking to me?

MODERN LADY: Who?  My view is blocked by clouds and fog . . .

ANCIENT SCHOLAR: If you wish to see far, . . .

MODERN LADY: You must use binoculars!

BOTH OF THEM: Look . . .

                   (They search for each other by pushing through the clouds and fog and meet in the middle of the stage.)

MODERN LADY: It's you!

ANCIENT SCHOLAR: It's you!

MODERN LADY: Who are you?

ANCIENT SCHOLAR: Let me tell you. (Sings in the kunqu style.[iv])

                   My pen portrayed a million heroes,

                   My masterpiece has lasted a thousand years.

                   Praising the noble rebels,

                   Castigating the corrupt officials,

                   Upholding loyalty and righteousness,

                   Abiding by the teachings of the Sage,

                   I am Shi Nai'an,

                   Talented scholar of the marshes.

MODERN LADY: Ah, it's the author of The Water Margin. I've long heard of your name and I'd like to ask you a question. (Shaking hands with him.) How do you do?

ANCIENT SCHOLAR: (Pressing his palms together in traditional greeting.) Man and woman must not touch each other. Who are you? Your behavior is most improper!

MODERN LADY: You ask me who I am? (Sings in the style of popular song.) I come from a brand new world,

                   I come from a bright society.

                   Our girls enjoy

                   Their sweet youth,

                   Their minds are quick,

                   Their ambitions high.

                   I belong to the new generation of the 1980s,

                   The new generation of the 1980s.

                   (Drags SHI NAI'AN to dance a ballroom dance with her.)

SHI NAI'AN: This is ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous! (Scrutinizes the MODERN LADY.)    What is your name?

MODERN LADY: Lu Shasha.

SHI NAI'AN: Where do you live?

LU SHASHA: No. 5, Garden Street.

SHI NAI'AN: Garden Street! (Stroking his beard.) Is it far from Purple Stone Street?

LU SHASHA: (Laughing.) Very far indeed! I spread my wings of imagination, overcoming the limit of time and space. I come before you to express my respect and also to voice my regret!

SHI NAI'AN: What is your regret? I am willing to hear it.

LU SHASHA: Your Excellency wrote The Water Margin and praised the Liangshan rebels. You're a worthy spokesman for the peasant rebellion, but, regrettably, you have such a low opinion of women and killed so many of them. . . .

SHI NAI'AN: Stop! They are all adulterous wives and unchaste maidens. It is entirely proper that I should criticize and condemn them. The verdict on their crimes has long been settled. If you don't believe me, come with me and have a look.

                   (SHI NAI'AN mounts the steps and points at four women who are dancing onto stage.)

LU SHASHA: Who are they?

WOMAN A: Yan Xijiao!

WOMAN B: Pan Qiaoyun!

WOMAN C: Mrs. Jia!

WOMAN D: Bai Xiuying!

LU SHASHA: Enough, enough! They're all of the same mold. They're all bad, without any exception. Who is the number one villainess?

SHI NAI'AN: Pan Jinlian--

                   (PAN JINLIAN appears in the role of the wanton woman in traditional opera. She walks coquettishly while waving her handkerchief. The four women accompany her in dance, mimicking her every step. Exit the four women. PAN JINLIAN hides half of her face behind a silk fan. Casting a sidelong glance, she smiles seductively and freezes in the pose.)

SHI NAI'AN: Women are the sources of trouble! Women and petty people are difficult to deal with!

LU SHASHA: Venerable Sir, that's your subjective viewpoint!

SHI NAI'AN: What is a "subjective viewpoint?"

LU SHASHA: Your traditional prejudice!

SHI NAI'AN: The correct view of the orthodox!

LU SHASHA: I must admit, your "correct view" still has a certain market today. But we moderns just cannot allow you ancients to lead us around by the nose all the time!

SHI NAI'AN: You wish to reverse the verdict on Pan Jinlian?

LU SHASHA: No, "reversing the verdict" is too simplistic! (Mounting the steps.) From where I stand today, I wish to gain a new understanding of Pan Jinlian and to ponder how this innocent woman step by step sinks into vice . . .

                   (Loud sound of drums and gongs. Four men come on stage with their sleeves shielding their faces. LU SHASHA and SHI NAI'AN fade from view. The four men drop their sleeves to reveal their identities: ZHANG DAHU, WU DALANG, WU SONG, XIMEN QING. They dance around the woman. PAN JINLIAN removes the fan to show her full face. Her facial expression is now quite different from before, and she changes her voice to that of a qingyi.[v])

PAN JINLIAN: (In a supplicating tone.) Oh, bitterness!

 

                                                                THE FIRST MAN  < back to top >

 

CHORUS: In the dark room a woman meets her doom;

                   In the bright hall scriptures are recited.

                   The butcher's knife is nowhere in sight,

                   Only the sound of wooden fish![vi]

                   (In the small prayer room of a pious family, the master of the house, Zhang Dahu, with his back to the audience, silently reads the scriptures. Only the monotonous sound of the wooden fish can be heard.)

SERVANT: (Calling from backstage.) Wu Dalang, come with me.

                   (The SERVANT enters with WU DALANG. WU glances forward and backward, looking very nervous and apprehensive.)

WU DALANG: (Opening introduction.)

                   The great master summons me to his presence,

                   This little fellow is shaking in his boots.

                   Your humble servant Wu Zhi pays his respects to you, Sir. (Prostrates himself on the ground.)

ZHANG DAHU: Please rise. Give him a low stool to sit on.

WU DALANG: Thank you, sir. (He sits on the low stool, feeling a little more relaxed.)

ZHANG DAHU: Wu Da, how is business lately?

WU DALANG: With your blessing, I can support myself with my little business. I'm doing all right.

ZHANG DAHU: Since you're fairly well-to-do, why don't you take a wife?

WU DALANG:  Ah, . . . to be quite frank with you, I'm forty-five years old, and I've no one to mend my clothes. How could I not want to have a family? But with my looks and my timid nature, who would want to marry me?

ZHANG DAHU: Don't look down on yourself. You're honest and kind, content with your lot, and law abiding. You have all the virtues of an obedient subject. (Bows.) My congratulations. (Sings.)

                   The star of marriage shines on you,

                   Old peach tree blossoms in the springtime!

                   A country girl has been in my household for ten years,

                   In ten years' time she's turned out handsomely!

                   She is skillful. She can sew and embroider with nimble fingers.

                   She is talented. She can sing and play musical instruments.

                   She is good in every way,

                   But she sighs and frowns all day.

                   Taking pity on my maid, I ask Buddha for advice.

                   It turns out she owes you a debt from a previous life;

                   You two are destined to become husband and wife.

                   'Tis a union made by the gods,

                   'Tis a union made by the spirits,

                   The cake peddler claims the beauty queen--

                   T'is the will of Heaven!

WU DALANG: Oh, what a surprise! (Sings.)

                   A bachelor for so many years,

                   Now a wife comes to me from Heaven!

                   I'm happy and surprised,

                   Delighted but doubtful.

                   A dwarf though I am,

                   A conscience I do have.

                   I ask myself: 

                   Is this right?

                   A pretty girl married to an ugly man!

                   Oh, Master Zhang,

                   This is a blessing for me,

                   But calamity for her!

ZHANG DAHU: This is an arrangement made in Heaven, please do not decline. Let her come out to meet you, then we can discuss the matter further. (Calls.) Servant!

SERVANT: (Enters.) Master.

ZHANG DAHU: Tell Jinlian to serve tea to the guest.

SERVANT: Yes, sir. (Calls.) Jinlian, serve tea to the guest!

PAN JINLIAN  (Answers from backstage.) Coming. 

                   (The SERVANT exits. ZHANG DAHU starts to read the scriptures in silence again.  WU DALANG does not dare to ask any more questions. Sitting alone on the side, he dozes off. PAN JINLIAN enters slowly.)

PAN JINLIAN: (Sings.)

                   Last night in the courtyard bathed in autumn moonlight,

                   Leaning against the balustrade, I gazed at the pair of stars bright.[vii]

                   Having lost my dear parents in my childhood,

                   How I yearn for the affection of a mate.

                   Tired of being a parasite in this wealthy household,

                   I love to hear the sounds of flower vendors in the street.

                   My heart flies outside with the butterflies,

                   To search for a kindred soul in my dreams.

ZHANG DAHU:  What's taking her so long! (Strikes the table.)

                   (Drums and gongs play the tune "Yunli bai." Enter PAN JINLIAN holding a tea service in her hands.)

PAN JINLIAN: Master, please have some tea.

ZHANG DAHU: There's a guest over there. Go serve him some tea.

PAN JINLIAN: Yes, sir. (Goes forward, offers the tea with her head lowered.) Guest, please have some tea.

                   (WU DALANG takes the tea. When he looks up, he is struck dumb by her dazzling beauty. PAN JINLIAN looks down at the dwarf's foolish expression. She cannot suppress a smile.)

CHORUS: Ah!  What a striking contrast!

WU DALANG: (Aside, sings.) A fairy has come down from the heavens!

PAN JINLIAN: (Aside, sings.) A midget has sprouted from the ground!

ZHANG DAHU: (Aside, sings.) That one is an old and ugly dwarf!

                   This one has charm beyond description!

PAN JINLIAN: (Aside, sings.) I wonder why the dwarf guest looks so embarrassed?

WU DALANG: (Aside, sings.) I'm so embarrassed I have no place to hide.

ZHANG DAHU: (Aside, sings.) 

                   This thorny rose is wild by nature;

                   That glob of mashed beans is obedient!

WU DALANG: (Sings.) I'm in a dream!

PAN JINLIAN: (Sings.) I'm getting suspicious!

WU DALANG: (Sings.) Let me ponder . . .

PAN JINLIAN: (Sings.) Let me ask . . .

ZHANG DAHU: (Sings.) I guide but do not give orders, I wait for the reply.

WU DALANG: (About to decline.) Oh, Master Zhang . . .

ZHANG DAHU: You go home and think it over. Come back tomorrow and we'll decide.

WU DALANG: I'll do as you say. I'm taking my leave now.

PAN JINLIAN: Guest, the teacup!

                   (WU DALANG realizes that he still has the teacup in his hand. He returns it, is about to say something, but checks himself. He leaves the room with a pained expression on his face. Exits.)

ZHANG DAHU: Jinlian, what do you think of this fellow?

PAN JINLIAN: He's ugly and strange, he 's so funny! (She smiles with closed lips.)

ZHANG DAHU: Go ahead and laugh. I'm giving you to him so you can laugh with him all             your life!

PAN JINLIAN: (Stunned.) Ah!  (Cannot believe what she heard, she asks him innocently.)           Master, are you joking with me?

ZHANG DAHU: Joking, humph! Didn't you always say that you're tired of living in a rich and powerful family, that you'd rather marry a poor peasant? I'll grant your wish--let his "three-inch" stature match your three-inch golden lilies;[viii] let this sesame cake peddler break your proud bones!

PAN JINLIAN: (Drops her cup and plate, cries.) Hea--ven! (Sings.)

                   You're so wicked, you mismatch marriage partners as if playing a game!

                   You're so cruel, yet you pretend to be a Buddha, merciful and true!

                   Turning the King of hell's register into a marriage contract,

                   You thought up this trick to punish your slave!

                   I'm like a deaf-mute taking the bitter medicine.

                   I can't swallow it;

                   I can't talk.

                   Anger fills my chest,

                   Tears run down my cheeks!

ZHANG DAHU: Well, it's no use crying. If you'll be reasonable, this marriage contract can be changed a little, modified a little.

PAN JINLIAN: How do you change it? How do you modify it?

ZHANG DAHU: (The tone of his voice changes.) If you don't want to be Wu Dalang's wife, you can be my concubine! It's either one or the other. Jinlian, come here and take a look. (Points to the outside and sings.)

                   Half of the city belongs to me,

                   My concubine's throne is reserved for you.

                   You and I, the king and queen

                   Go sightseeing in the spring,

                   Row a sandalwood boat in the summer,

                   Drink chrysanthemum wine in the autumn,

                   Dress in white fur coats in the winter . . .

                   All your life you'll live in luxury and comfort.

                   The Weaving Maid will keep company with this white-haired Cowherd!

PAN JINLIAN: (Sings.)

                   How he intimidates and entices,

                   Coldly calculates my marriage choices!

                   Either I marry an ugly fool,

                   Or wed a beast in man's clothes!

                   Both options are bitter wine,

                   My marriage is doomed for life!

                   Is there a third road?

                   Yes, jump into the lotus pond and end my sorrow!

                   (PAN JINLIAN runs out of the prayer room, but a gust of evening breeze makes her stop at the door.)

ZHANG DAHU: The wind blows and trees swing. You'd better think it over carefully before rushing into any action!

CHORUS: Trees shake their heads, branches wave their hands,

                   Wind tugs at her sleeves, the moon bids her to stay . . .

PAN JINLIAN: (Moved by the scenery, sings.)

                   Even trees and grasses have feelings

                   In this beautiful evening.

                   My life is like the flowers,

                   Just beginning to bloom!

                   I'll travel some more on my journey of life,

                   Even if I have to swallow bitter wine and tears.

                   (Turns resolutely to Zhang.)

                   Wu Da, although ugly, is not a beast,

                   Your devil's mansion is a veritable grave!

                   I'd rather be the wife of a dwarf

                   Than share my pillow with a wolf!

ZHANG DAHU: (Defeated, sings.)

                   The rose has thorns,

                   The mermaid refuses to take the bait.

                   Her angry look is even more captivating than her smiles,

                   I cannot restrain my lust and desires . . .

                   Pleading is not as good as taking action.

                   I'll turn this Buddhist hall into a pleasure house!

                   (Loud music of drums and gongs. PAN JINLIAN senses herself to be in danger, runs to the door to escape. ZHANG DAHU drags her back and locks the door. He advances toward her with an obscene smile on his face and is about to assault her. JINLIAN struggles to free herself, biting him on the wrist.)

ZHANG DAHU: (Cries out in pain.) Ouch!

                   (JINLIAN grabs the candlestick to defend herself.)

ZHANG DAHU: (Scolding her between his teeth.) Obstinate slave! Very well, I'll have you first and then give you to that dwarf. You'll suffer all your life! (He pounces on

                   JINLIAN, knocks down her candlestick and rapes her. Lights cut. The sound of a pipa is heard.[ix] A young man appears on the steps in a splendid robe and a golden hat.)

YOUNG MAN IN GOLDEN HAT: (Sings in the style of Zhejiang opera.)

                   Girls are made of water,

                   Maidens have much sorrow.

                   Girls grieve, maidens are sad.

                   Their sorrow is like . . .

                   Those endless blue mountain ranges,

                   Those ever-flowing green rivers . . .

                   (On the other side of the stage, LU SHASHA reappears.)

LU SHASHA: Ah, this young gentleman looks very familiar; I must have seen him in some movie!

YOUNG MAN in GOLDEN HAT: I'm Jia Baoyu of the Studio of Red Delight.

LU SHASHA: Ah! (Cannot help laughing.) Second Master Bao, You've wandered from The Red Chamber to The Water Margin! Seeing you makes me think of Mr. Cao Xueqin.

JIA BAOYU:  Mr. Cao and Mr. Shi were both literary giants, but their attitudes toward women were very different.

LU SHASHA: What do you think of this play we have been watching? 

JIA BAOYU: The story is similar to The Water Margin, but the style is imitating The Dream of the Red Chamber . . . (Sings.)

                   Yuanyang, who refused an arranged marriage, sinks into a sea of bitterness;

                   Jinchuan, who drowned herself, returns as a ghost.[x]

                   If Pan Jinlian were in The Dream of the Red Chamber,

                   She would join the company of other ill-fated beauties.

LU SHASHA: (Sings.)

                   Comparative studies link the past with the present.

                   I think of Bajin's Family[xi] . . .

                   Doesn't Feng Leshan resemble Zhang Dahu?

                   Mingfeng and Jinlian share the same sad fate![xii]

JIA BAOYU: (Sings.) Where's the Third Master Juehui now?[xiii]

LU SHASHA: (An idea suddenly comes to her.) There's no need to look for him. You're Juehui!

JIA BAOYU: I?

LU SHASHA: (Continues.) The Second Master and the Third Master are from the same mold!

JIA BAOYU: Let's go to the Water Margin to save the poor woman . . .

LU SHASHA: It's too late! (Sings.) The unfortunate woman drifts to Purple Stone Street.

                   (Both of them mount the steps to look.)

 

                                                            THE SECOND MAN  < back to top >

 

PAN JINLIAN: (Sings from backstage.) Time flies, my appearance changes.

                   (The sound of small gongs is heard. Enter PAN JINLIAN, dressed as a peasant woman. She performs the pantomime of making steamed cakes in the style of traditional opera.)

JIA BAOYU: (Does not understand what JINLIAN is doing; he asks SHASHA.) Miss Shasha, please tell me what is she doing?

LU SHASHA: She's mixing flour.

JIA BAOYU: Oh, she's mixing the flour to make cake.

                   (As BAOYU speaks, he imitates JINLIAN's movements. SHASHA is drawn into the  action too, but her dance gradually turns into a disco. JINLIAN is absorbed in her  cake-making. The three of them move closer and closer and accidentally bump into each other.)