LI Bao-Chun on Traditional Chinese Operas

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11/5 Yu Ji, the Gorgeous Concubine

Xiang Yu’s favorite concubine, Yu Ji, was born in the countryside of Shu-yang. Her sworn brother, Zhang Liang, became the advisor of Liu Bang, leader of the Han camp, after his attempted assassination of the King of Qin, when Yu Ji saved Zhang in a dinner party set to frame him.

Four years later, Xiang Yu was under siege in Gai-Xia. He bid Yu Ji to leave, knowing their lives were in danger. Yu Ji met Zhang Liang in a night walk. Zhang tried all he could to persuade Yu Ji to surrender to the Han camp, but Yu Ji would rather give up her life than surrender. She returned to Xiang Yu’s camp, and refusing to be Xiang Yu’s burden, she committed suicide. Yu Ji’s bravery and story goes down in history.

11/12 Lu Wen-Long

Lu-An County
The Eight Great Maces
The Storytelling

Governor LU Deng by LI Bao-Chun

LU Wen-Long (in The Eight Great Maces) by LI Bao-Chun

WANG Zuo by LI Bao-Chun

Madam Lu by HUANG Yu-Lin

JIN Wu-Zhu by LIU Zhuo-Yu

LU Wen-Long (in The Storytelling) by CHAO Yang-Chiang

YUE Fei by SHENG Chien

Nanny by LEE Ching-Ni

YAN Zheng-fang by SUN, Yuan-Cheng

DI Lei by LIU, Hsi-Jung

HE Yuan-Qing by PENG, Chun-Kang

YUE Yun by LEE, Chai-Chi

HA Michi by CHEN Li-Chang

Jing-Hu( Head of Strings): YE Guang

Drum(Head of Percussions): LIU Yun-He

Duration: 135 minutes

Filmed on December 5, 2003, Novel Hall for Performing Arts, Taipei 

At the end of the Song dynasty when the Song state and the Jin state were constantly at war, Lu Deng, Mayor of Lu-An County, was killed in a siege by the Jin troop. His wife committed suicide to pledge her fidelity. Prince Jin Wu-Zhu of the Jin state, leader of the Jin troop, decided to adopt their baby son, Lu Wen-Long, and brought him back to the Jin state in the North. Sixteen years later, a grown-up Lu Wen-Long accompanied Jin Wu-Zhu in his attack of the Song state. Four great warriors of the Song’s troops, Yue Yen, He Yuan-Qing, Di Lei and Yan Zheng-Fang, took their turns to fight Lu Wen-Long, but all got defeated. Staff Officer of the Song camp, Wang Zuo, found out Lu Wen-Long’s true identity. He cut off one arm and pretended to surrender to Jin. After being allowed to walk about in the Jin camp, Wang Zuo found Lu Wen-Long, told him the story of his parents, and persuaded him to forsake the Jin state and return to his rightful motherland.

11/19 Ode to the River Goddess

Cao Cao and his sons, Cao Zhi and Cao Pi, were having a poem contest. Cao Pi found out Cao Zhi was secretly yearned for his wife, Zhen Mi, and his hatred towards his brother grew strong.

Cao Zhi and Zhen Mi later met unexpectedly by a lake and fell in love. After Cao Pi inherited his father’s throne, he planned to frame Cao Zhi into a death trap. Zhen Mi tried in vain to stop the scheme. To save his own life, Cao Zhi was asked to compose a poem within the time frame of taking seven steps. Cao Zhi successfully composed a poem on his seventh step, but Zhen Mi was put to death, and Cao Zhi got banished. On this way to banishment, Cao Zhi passed Luo-shui River and met the river goddess in a dream, which aroused his loving memories of Zhen Mi, and He created the renowned “Ode to the River Goddess.”

11/26  The Duan-Mi Mountain Stream

 WANG Bo-Dang by LI Bao-Chun

LI Mi by YANG Yan-Yi

Lady DONG-FANG by YU Chi-Jou

XIN Zhi by CHEN Juan-Juan

DU Ming by TSAI Yueh-Hsun

XU Mao-Gong by LI Yu-Hsuan

LI Shi-Min by HSU Kuo-Chi

Jinhu (Head of Strings): BAI Xiao-Xia

Drum(Head of Percussions): LIU Yun-He

Duration: 120 minutes

Filmed on June 8, 2018, Metropolitan Hall, Taipei

This is a story about an doughty warrior in the end of the Sui Dynasty. His name was Wang Bo-Dang, and he was superbly good with bow and arrow. One day in a fight, he shot another fierce warrior named Xin Wen-Li dead. Xin’s widow, Dong-Fang, a beauty with excellent spear fighting skill, came with her gang to seek vengeance, but she was instantly attracted by Wang Bo-Dang during their fight. Dong-Fang captured Wang Bo-Dang, and proposed marriage, but Wang Bo-Dang would not wed her without her fulfilling three conditions, even when he had lost the fight and been captivated. Only after Dong-Fang fulfilled the conditions did the two got married.

The bandit stockade Wang Bo-Dang lived in was called Wa Gang, whose chief, Li Mi, was an egocentric man. When Li Mi’s leadership failed and most members turned away from him, Wang Bo-Dang was the only one staying by his side. Wang Bo-Dang persuaded Li Mi to seek refuge with the King of Tang who not only accepted Wang and Li, but married his own sister, Princess He-Yang, to Li Mi. However, Li Mi soon killed the Princess during a quarrel and asked Wang Bo-Dang to run away with him. Both Li Mi and Wang Bo-Dang were killed by soldiers of Tang near the Duan-Mi Mountain Stream. Some said Wang Bo-Dang died trying to save Li Mi…