The Swallow Letter

阮大铖 / 刘一禾 / 张安全Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) · ChinaJul 2024

3.8

Word count: 42K words
Chapters: 20

Summary

A talented scholar from Fufeng, descendant of a famous general, surnamed Huo and styled Duliang. He brings his friend to the capital for the examinations, and since the test date is still far off, they seek amusement and briefly visit the pleasure quarters. With his brush he paints, listening to orioles and chasing butterflies, and sketches a small portrait of Yunniang.

Editor's review

The Swallow Letter is a chuanqi play by Ruan Dacheng from the late Ming dynasty. Its main thread is the romantic entanglement between the talented scholar Huo Duliang of Fufeng and Yunniang and other women, stringing together such episodes as sitting for the examinations in the capital, seeking pleasure in the pleasure quarters, and painting portraits. The language is ornate and the plotting ingenious, making it a fairly representative work of late Ming drama. This edition includes editorial work by Liu Yihe and Zhang Anquan, making the work more accessible to readers. Its value lies first in the history of drama: it offers a window onto the thematic tastes and structural techniques of late Ming chuanqi; second in its language: both the arias and the spoken dialogue are beautiful, with much to admire in the portrayal of characters and scenery. When reading, one may treat it as a play script that can be enjoyed at one's desk and also imagined in performance, paying attention to the arrangement of qupai (tune titles) and the entrances and exits of characters. For drama researchers, its plotting can be examined in light of late Ming social context; for general readers, it is best to first read through the main plot, then return to the outstanding scenes, and appreciate how chuanqi drama drives the whole play through the joys and sorrows of the male and female leads. The relationships among the characters are fairly complex; on a first reading it is enough to grasp the main thread, without rushing to master every plot point.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers of classical Chinese drama and Ming-Qing chuanqi
Students of classical literature and candidates preparing for graduate entrance exams
Readers who enjoy scholar-beauty romances and fine language
Those interested in late Ming society and the forms of dramatic performance

Not a good fit for

Readers completely unfamiliar with classical Chinese arias and dialogue who need a vernacular translation
Impatient readers who only want a plot summary and do not wish to read the arias closely

Reading tips

First read the plot summary to clarify the character relationships, then read the arias scene by scene.
Mark outstanding arias and plot turning points for easy re-reading.
Consult materials on drama history to understand the conventions and performance of late Ming chuanqi.
Try reading the arias aloud to appreciate the dual pleasures of chuanqi as desk literature and as performance.

About the publisher

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) China · Founded in 1901

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) was a private publishing and distribution house in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, issuing traditional works by lithographic printing. Judging from the 1,194 titles in the collection, its publishing focused on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, historical reading, traditional Chinese medical texts, and canonical works, along with books on literary appreciation. Representative titles include the poetry and prose collections of Du Fu and Ouyang Xiu; historical works such as the Book of Han and Zizhi Tongjian; classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Mencius; and specialized and literary classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Li Sao. Its author resources cover major figures across the ages, including Du Fu, Ban Gu, Sima Guang, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Tang Shenwei, reflecting the house's characteristic reliance on traditional scholarship and medical literature while serving general readers. Public information on its early history and operational details is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.

版权信息
序
第一回别恩师来都应试馈良朋水墨观音
第二回候场期店里栖身谋叛逆途中打猎
第三回旧知交款留文士重相会写赠春容
第四回臧书吏陈说场弊缪室婆醉施酒疯
第五回错取画来惊容似赠诗笺去任燕传
第六回霍秀夫曲江拾字贾南仲虑牢安营
第七回机关泄漏梅香口丑态翻成皂隶言
第八回换坐号试探口气因医病细说情由
第九回不凑合难成吏舞生奸谋易吓友听
第十回霍秀才潜逃旅邸安禄山大破潼关
第十一回郦尚书出闱扈驾贾经略收女全交
第十二回夫人错认亲生女秀士新邀入幕宾
第十三回参军作檄伤贼胆节度爱才许联姻
第十四回美少年军中合卺老驼婆阁下陈情
第十五回鲜状元私谒师第华养女弊掀父前
第十六回假斯文锁试书斋真不通潜逃狗洞
第十七回久别离同欣聚会得相逢各诉前由
第十八回一道旨双排赏宴两妻儿均受荣封

FAQ

What story does The Swallow Letter tell?

According to the introduction in the book, the story follows the talented scholar Huo Duliang of Fufeng. Because the examination date is still far off, he and a friend briefly visit the pleasure quarters for amusement, and through such episodes as painting a portrait and listening to orioles and chasing butterflies, he becomes entangled with Yunniang and others. The whole play is threaded through with the separation and reunion of the male and female leads, a typical late Ming scholar-beauty chuanqi framework.

Do I need to understand qurhythm (tune patterns) before reading this chuanqi?

Not necessarily. On a first reading, focus on the plot progression and character relationships, and you may skip the tune-pattern and metrical details for the time being; if you wish to go deeper, then consult reference materials on musical modes and performance conventions. General readers can simply enjoy it as a classical play script and need not be deterred by the threshold of tune patterns.

Is this book suitable for beginning readers of drama?

Beginning readers with some ability to read classical Chinese can give it a try, but the mixture of arias and dialogue and the large cast of characters may make a first reading difficult. It is advisable to first learn the plot summary and the basic conventions of late Ming chuanqi before entering the text; if you rely entirely on vernacular reading, you would do better to find an edition with translation and annotation.

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About the author

阮大铖 Author

Ruan Dacheng was a literatus of the late Ming dynasty. Publicly available sources offer only limited information about his life and official career, and assessments of him have long been complex; this entry therefore makes no fabricated elaboration. The library holds one work by him, Yanzi Jian (The Swallow's Note). This play belongs to the chuanqi drama of classical literature, using a swallow that carries a note to set in motion a tale of love, separation, and reunion. Its plot is intricate, its structure artful, and its lyrics fresh and elegant, making it somewhat representative of late Ming dramatic writing; it has continued to be edited and performed in later ages. In style, Ruan Dacheng was skilled at ornate diction and deft plotting, using misunderstanding and coincidence to drive the action and rendering characters' emotions with fine detail, reflecting the late Ming literati chuanqi tendency toward literary polish and ingenious incident. Apart from Yanzi Jian, the editions and transmission of his other works are not treated here because publicly available sources are limited; readers may consult the original text and works on the history of drama for further study.

刘一禾 Author

Liu Yihe: currently, very little is publicly known about this author, and it has not been possible to confirm his or her native place, dates of birth and death, or main life experiences. As for the works held in the collection, what can be established is that one work is attributed to this name, Yanzi Jian (The Swallow Note), usually classified under classical literature. Judging from its subject matter and style, Yanzi Jian shows the coloring of traditional drama or chuanqi, with a plot generally revolving around talented scholars and beautiful women, separations and reunions brought about by fate, and a language that seeks emotional appeal and interwoven echoes, reflecting the interest of classical narrative literature in dramatic structure, lyrical passages, and the joys and sorrows of its characters. Because material on the author's life is scarce, present judgments about the full range of his or her writing and literary standing remain limited, and relevant studies can only start from the work itself, examining its plot structure, character arrangement, and diction, and on that basis infer the author's place within the tradition of classical literature. In the absence of corroborating evidence, caution is advisable regarding Liu Yihe's identity, circle of acquaintances, and period of composition, pending further documentary discoveries.

张安全 Author

Zhang Anquan is an author about whom little public information is currently available; basic details such as his life story, place of origin, and dates of birth and death remain unclear. Only one of his works is held in the collection, Yanzi Jian (The Swallow Letterhead). Judging from its common classification, the work falls under classical literature, suggesting that his writing carries traditional literary qualities and tends toward classical drama or classical Chinese narrative. The title Yanzi Jian itself hints that the work may revolve around letterhead paper, correspondence, and romance, embodying the subtle, understated beauty often found in classical literature. Because information about the author is so scarce, scholars and readers can mostly understand him and his writing only through this single work, making it difficult to form a complete picture of Zhang Anquan's overall creative output. Further understanding of this author still depends on the text of Yanzi Jian itself and on additional documentary clues that may come to light in the future.