Chen San and Wuniang

Introduction

Liyuan opera rooted in the Ming play The Lychee and the Mirror, taught anew by Cai Youben in 1952

The Liyuan opera Chen San and Wuniang descends from the Ming play The Lychee and the Mirror, whose earliest surviving edition was printed in 1566. That edition has fifty-five scenes, among them Wuniang Admires the Lanterns, Tossing the Lychee from the Tower, Chen San Learns to Polish Mirrors and The Precious Mirror Is Broken. Later editions followed in the Wanli, Shunzhi and Guangxu reigns. In 1952 a Liyuan troupe was founded in Jinjiang County, and the master Cai Youben of the xiao liyuan school taught the play to it by word of mouth and example. In the 1950s Liyuan opera revived a group of traditional plays including this one, which won prizes at festivals and was also filmed. The same story is a regular piece in Teochew, Gaojia and Gezai opera as well.