The Dream of the Southern Bough

Tang XianzuMar 2016

Rating 4.0

Word count: 67K words

Summary

'The Dream of the Southern Bough' is a Ming-dynasty chuanqi drama and one of the representative works of the famous dramatist Tang Xianzu. It tells of Chunyu Fen, who, after drinking, dreams of entering the Kingdom of Huai'an — a kingdom of ants — where he marries a princess and is appointed Grand Prefect of Nanke, later promoted to Chancellor of the Left. For a time he holds great power and indulges in lust and excess, until at last he is sent away. On waking, he realizes it was all a dream, sees through glory and disgrace, and is finally enlightened by a Zen master. The play survives in several editions; this book is collated and annotated on the basis of Mao Jin's Jigu Ge woodblock edition of the Sixty Plays from the Ming dynasty.

Editor's review

Nanke Ji (A Dream Under the Southern Bough) is the most philosophically distinctive of Tang Xianzu's "Four Dreams of Linchuan." It tells how Chunyu Fen, drunk, enters the ant kingdom, marries a princess, serves as governor of Nanke, and is elevated to the rank of Left Chancellor; wielding power at its height, he indulges his desires without restraint until he is finally sent home. Waking, he realizes it was all a dream, sees through honor and disgrace, and turns to Chan enlightenment. The play frames the rise and fall of worldly ambition within a dream structure, weaving career fortunes, sensual indulgence, and religious deliverance into a single narrative thread. It possesses both the lyrical beauty characteristic of chuanqi drama and the late-Ming literati's deep inquiry into the meaning of life. This edition is collated and annotated from the Ming Mao Jin Jiguge "Liushi Zhongqu" edition, with a clear textual provenance that allows readers to experience the original on a reliable basis. Readers seeking a fuller picture of Tang Xianzu's drama may read it alongside The Peony Pavilion: one writes of the profundity of qing (feeling), the other of the thorough awakening in dream, together forming two entry points into the Four Dreams of Linchuan. Read slowly, attending to both arias and dialogue, to appreciate the distinctive flavor of the chuanqi form.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students and researchers of classical Chinese literature who need to study the complete text of Tang Xianzu's plays
Theater enthusiasts wishing to understand a stylistic alternative to The Peony Pavilion within the "Four Dreams of Linchuan"
Readers of classical literature interested in Ming chuanqi conventions and the art of the aria
Traditional-culture readers drawn to dream narratives and reflections on the meaning of life

Not a good fit for

Readers accustomed to the pace of modern vernacular fiction; the qupai conventions and interspersed prose dialogue of chuanqi require adjustment
Readers interested only in plot may turn to adaptations or summaries rather than a collated, annotated edition
Beginners wholly unfamiliar with dramatic form who are unwilling to consult annotations will find the barrier high

Reading tips

First read a plot summary to grasp the main line from entering the ant kingdom to awakening, then read act by act, attending closely to arias and dialogue
Chart Chunyu Fen's career rise and fall against the dream structure, noting shifts in the author's attitude toward fame and desire
Read alongside The Peony Pavilion and compare how the two works treat qing and enlightenment along different paths
Use the annotations when qupai and allusions obstruct understanding; do not insist on mastering every aria in one pass

FAQ

What is the textual basis and annotation of this edition?

This edition is collated from the Ming Mao Jin Jiguge "Liushi Zhongqu" edition and includes annotations; this textual source is relatively common and reliable among chuanqi plays. Readers can thus obtain a fairly complete text of the original, and the annotations help explain allusions and diction in the arias.

What is the relationship between Nanke Ji and The Peony Pavilion?

Both are representative works of Tang Xianzu's "Four Dreams of Linchuan," but their aims differ. The Peony Pavilion writes of a depth of feeling that transcends life and death; Nanke Ji uses the dream of the ant kingdom to write of the illusory nature of fame and honor and of final Chan enlightenment. Reading the two together helps illuminate the tension in Tang Xianzu's thought between feeling and enlightenment.

Can readers unfamiliar with dramatic form get into it?

Chuanqi plays consist of arias, prose dialogue, and stage directions, and their reading rhythm differs from the modern novel; first-time readers will feel some unfamiliarity. It is advisable to grasp the main storyline first, then read act by act, using annotations to resolve allusions; after a few acts, readers will adapt to the conventions of the form.

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About the author

Tang Xianzu Author · China · 1550–1616

Tang Xianzu (1550–1616) was a dramatist and man of letters of the Ming dynasty, a native of Linchuan, Jiangxi. His courtesy name was Yireng, and he styled himself Hairuo and Ruoshi, also using the alias Qingyuan Daoren. He passed the metropolitan examination during the Wanli reign, served as magistrate of Suichang, and later resigned to return home and devote himself to writing. His plays The Purple Hairpin, The Peony Pavilion, A Dream under the Southern Bough, and The Handan Dream are collectively known as the Four Dreams of Linchuan, among which The Peony Pavilion is the most celebrated. It tells of the death-defying love between Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei in graceful language and deep feeling, and has long flourished on the stage. Drawing on traditional stories while striking out in new directions, his plays take qing, or feeling, as their core and blend literati refinement with popular theatrical tradition, exerting a profound influence on later drama; he is thus known as the “Shakespeare of the East.” The library holds 22 of his works, including several editions of The Peony Pavilion and the chuanqi plays collected in Sixty Plays.