Book Review: The Peony Pavilion

I have sought you everywhere, And at last I find you here

This is a monumental piece of Chinese theatre. It In a word: Epic. Kind of like how some would describe the Lord of the Rings works as being an epic. The Peony Pavilion is a large sweeping drama that travels across vast planes, from the shores of hell to the quiet tranquillity of an apricot tree. There is a reason why this is one of the most classic prices of literature in Chinese history. It was turned into a Chinese opera. Today it is most known as being central to the collaboration between world-renowned Chinese composer Tan Dun and American avant-garde theatre director Peter Sellers. I learned this piece of literature from my year abroad in Hong Kong studying for my music degree; I’d been learning about Chinese theatre and had the pleasure of watching this piece live. Initially, I had no clue what was happening. Then again it was all sung, danced and acted in traditional Chinese, despite that I fell in love with the artistry. It has been on my reading list ever since.

So, a quick rundown of what happens: Bridal Du is learned in all the graceful feminine arts. But knows nothing of the world, so her father brings in a tutor who instructs her on the Book of Songs which teaches her about the ideals of love. During a contemplative walk in a garden, she falls asleep under an apricot tree by a peony pavilion where she dreams of the scholar Liu MengMei with whom she falls in love. Upon waking she slowly wastes away and dies at never being able to meet him – it was only a dream. Quick FYI: Liu MengMei does exist, he’s just taking his sweet damn time. But don’t worry, it only takes a couple of wars, 9 celestial judges, mistaken identity and a quashed rebellion for Bridal Du and Liu MengMei to come together in the end. I wasn’t kidding when I said it was an epic.

Perhaps it is my impatience, but there were scenes in this drama that was a little drawn out, I did also get a little confused with the timeline at one point – that is due to the number of characters. But I got there in the end. There is a reason Chinese Opera is about 3-4 hours long. However, it gives great insight into Chinese culture – particularly the. Beliefs of Taoism, Buddhism, the role of women during the Song Dynasty and Chinese medicine and magic. There is something quite beautiful about their intangible belief in the magical properties of Mercury, which is the crucial ingredient in bringing Bridal Du back to life. There is also some wonderful imagery of dragons and phoenixes. I also particularly liked the imagery of the dream and hell – it’s no wonder Tan Dun and Peter Sellers had a whale of a time putting this on for modern audiences. If anyone has read my review of Antigone, or any translations of Greek/Persian texts that I’ve read – you’ll know that I usually take translations with a pinch of salt. There are footnotes that go into further depth about the ancient references, mostly folklore. But then again, Chinese text is full of hidden meaning that sometimes just doesn’t translate literally. Chinese characters are somewhat like hieroglyphics -kind of. Each character has many layers of meaning, depending on the formation of the strokes. Take the character ‘Guo’: 国 meaning ‘Kingdom’ the box is the ‘throne’ the three strokes with the line down the middle is the King (Queen), and the small stroke to the right is his treasure. It signifies wealth and honour – a king watching over his dominion or people, however, you like to see it. As I said, layers of meaning.