Writers › Writer / Poet

Gao Ming

Late Yuan southern-drama playwright whose Story of the Lute was hailed as the ancestor of southern drama.

Also known as Zi Zecheng · Hao Caigen Daoren · Master Dongjia

Gao Ming, courtesy name Zecheng, from Rui'an in Wenzhou, passed the jinshi examination in 1345 and held provincial posts in Chuzhou and the Jiangzhe branch secretariat. In retirement near Ningbo at the end of the Yuan he reworked a popular tale into The Story of the Lute (Pipa Ji), about Cai Bojie and his faithful wife Zhao Wuniang. Its tight structure and refined lyrics earned it the title 'ancestor of southern drama'.

Life and times

  1. c. 1305 CEBornYuanMing
  2. c. 1370 CEDied

Works

  1. Literature · Drama44
    1. The Story of the LuteYuanGao Ming's late Yuan nanxi of Zhao Wuniang, who buries her in-laws and seeks her husband
    2. The Story of the Lute: PrologueYuan
    3. The Story of the Lute: Birthday Toasts to the ParentsYuan
    4. The Story of the Lute: Miss Niu Admonishes Her MaidYuan
    5. The Story of the Lute: Old Cai Presses for the ExaminationYuan
    6. +25 more
      1. The Story of the Lute: Parting Words at the Southern ShoreYuan
      2. The Story of the Lute: The Chancellor Instructs His DaughterYuan
      3. The Story of the Lute: The Scholars Set OutYuan
      4. The Story of the Lute: Choosing Scholars in the Examination HallYuan
      5. The Story of the Lute: Sighing at the Dressing TableYuan
      6. The Story of the Lute: Spring Banquet in the Apricot GardenYuan
      7. The Story of the Lute: Mother Cai Laments Her SonYuan
      8. The Story of the Lute: A Son-in-Law Sought by Imperial DecreeYuan
      9. The Story of the Lute: The Official Matchmaker ProposesYuan
      10. The Story of the Lute: The Chancellor EnragedYuan
      11. The Story of the Lute: Bridal Worries in the Gilded ChamberYuan
      12. The Story of the Lute: A Petition at the Palace StepsYuan
      13. The Story of the Lute: Relief from the Charity GranaryYuan
      14. The Story of the Lute: The Wedding Day Announced AgainYuan
      15. The Story of the Lute: A Forced UnionYuan
      16. The Story of the Lute: Urging Her Parents-in-Law to EatYuan
      17. The Story of the Lute: Eating the Husks HerselfYuan
      18. The Story of the Lute: The Lute's Lament by the Lotus PondYuan
      19. The Story of the Lute: Tasting the Medicine for ThemYuan
      20. The Story of the Lute: Anxious Thoughts in the Official ResidenceYuan
      21. The Story of the Lute: Selling Her Hair for the BurialYuan
      22. The Story of the Lute: The Swindler's DeceptionYuan
      23. The Story of the Lute: Heaven Moved, the Tomb CompletedYuan
      24. The Story of the Lute: Gazing at the Mid-Autumn MoonYuan
      25. The Story of the Lute: A Beggar Seeking Her HusbandYuan
    7. Open all works→
  2. Stage · Plays1
    1. The Story of the LuteLate Yuan (southern drama by Gao Ming)Gao Ming's late Yuan southern drama, still sung in high-tune Xiang opera scenes such as Painting the Portrait