Chiese Yueju Opera-Peach Blossom Fan 桃花扇-撕扇(张琳陈艺)

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Description

The opera was created in 1699 by Confucius's descendant Kong Shangren, and tells the love story of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) singer Li Xiangjun and scholar Hou Fangyu. The fan in the play's title is a present from Hou to his love and the story is set against a backdrop of the replacement of the Ming Dynasty with the Manchu Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The peach blossom fan represents the couple's love and their separation and reunion. At the end of the opera when the lovers met again accidentally, the Ming Dynasty has fallen and they both become religious. At the end of the story, Xiangjun tears the fan; symbolizing the end of their love.