The Fuzhou‑dialect version of “The Four Dreams of Linchuan” makes its way into universities: Seeking it within the plays of Master Tang.

In order to see the hometown troupe’s dialect‑infused rendition of “The Four Dreams of Linchuan,” Xing Lihao, a Jiangxi native and student at Renmin University of China, repeatedly urged his junior at Tsinghua University to be sure to help him secure a ticket.

Recently, the Fuzhou dialect–based adaptation of “The Four Dreams of Linchuan” made its way to Tsinghua University, where more than 800 student tickets were snapped up in a single day, prompting the organizers to hastily issue additional passes. The subsequent performance at Peking University was equally well received, with many students praising the show as superb and noting that it deepened their understanding of Tang Xianzu and sparked greater interest in Chinese opera.

 

“When one has exhausted the intricacies of human relations in dreams, leaving nothing unsaid, it is only at the moment of waking that one cannot help but ponder in silence.” The great Ming‑dynasty dramatist and literary figure Tang Xianzu used “dreams” to express his aspirations and secured his place in history through them. During his lifetime, he composed four plays—The Peony Pavilion (also known as The Return from the Dead), The Purple Hairpin, The South‑Knot Story, and The Handan Dream—which together are celebrated as the “Four Dreams of Linchuan,” a treasured legacy of Chinese culture and art.

 

Tang Xianzu (1550–1616), courtesy name Yishen, went by the art names Hairuo, Ruoshi, and Qingyuan Daoren. He was a native of Linchuan in Jiangxi (present-day Fuzhou). A man of unyielding integrity who refused to curry favor with the powerful, he experienced an uneven official career: he successively held posts as Doctor of the Imperial Academy in Nanjing, Chief Clerk of the Jianshi Office, and Senior Official in the Department of Rites and Sacrifices; later, he was demoted to the post of Inspector of Records in Xuwén, Guangdong, and subsequently served as Magistrate of Suichang, Zhejiang. In 1598, he resigned his office and returned to Wenchangli in Linchuan, where he built the “Yumintang” and composed The Peony Pavilion…
 

 

 

Tang Xianzu in “The Four Dreams of Linchuan”

 

Fuzhou has long been renowned as the “hometown of talented scholars” and the “land of culture,” having produced such eminent Confucian masters as Yan Shu, Yan Jidao, Zeng Gong, Wang Anshi, and Lu Jiuyuan. Tang Xianzu spent 52 years of his life in Fuzhou, and three and a half of his “Four Dreams of Linchuan” were completed there, making Fuzhou a place where both drama and dreams come alive. The locally‑sung version of “The Four Dreams of Linchuan,” staged in Fuzhou, employs the vocal style—Xuhe Gaqiang—that most closely resembles the one used in the original performances of Tang Xianzu’s plays, representing an earnest effort to recapture the essence of this 400‑year‑old classic.

 

The “Hometown Accent” version of “The Four Dreams of Linchuan” weaves together the “Four Dreams” and Tang Xianzu’s life story, tracing his ups and downs in the imperial examination system and officialdom to explore his yearning for “love” and “dreams,” while illuminating the inner journey that shaped his creative vision and philosophical outlook. Liao Ben, former vice chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, praised the play’s ingenious conception: “By mapping out four distinct phases of Tang Xianzu’s life, it links his four major works, reflecting his insights into life, his pursuit of love, his hopes for the human condition, and the disillusionment of his dreams,” adding that it greatly helps ordinary audiences gain a deeper understanding of Tang Xianzu and his oeuvre.

 

“We have selected from ‘The Four Dreams of Linchuan’ the scenes ‘Scattering Gold in Resentment,’ ‘The Drunken Hero’s Casual Commentary,’ and ‘A Dream at Dawn’; from ‘The Peony Pavilion’ we’ve chosen ‘A Stroll in the Garden,’ ‘A Startling Dream,’ ‘Judgment in the Underworld,’ and ‘Reviving from Death’; from ‘The Story of the Southern Bough’ we’ve taken ‘Seeking Awakening,’ ‘Transforming Affections,’ and ‘Love’s End’; and from ‘The Tale of Handan’ we’ve drawn ‘Utmost Desire,’ ‘Awakening to Life,’ and ‘Reunion with the Immortals.’” Speaking about the original intention behind adopting this modern dramatic construction, playwright Cao Lusheng explained that, in terms of narrative structure, Tang Xianzu is woven throughout the entire play as its central character, while the Yellow‑Robed Traveler, Judge Hu, Zen Master Qixuan, and Lü Dongbin all serve as narrators, briefly summarizing the plotlines beyond the individual short scenes, thereby imbuing the prologue and transitions with a free, open‑ended form that breathes the spirit of our times.
 

 

 

Still from “The Purple Hairpin,” one of the Four Dreams of Linchuan.

 

Professor Li Jian of Peking University believes that this production not only boasts a novel textual structure but also enriches Tang Xianzu’s stage art by employing the vocal styles native to his hometown. In his essay “Record of the Temple of the Opera God Qingyuan Master in Yihuang County,” Tang Xianzu documented the vocal traditions prevalent in the Yihuang region of Fuzhou at the time. Drawing on this historical source, the creators have inferred that Tang Xianzu’s “Four Dreams of Linchuan” were originally performed by local Yiling actors who specialized in the Haiyan vocal style. To recapture the rustic authenticity of Tang’s plays as they were first staged over four centuries ago, the production has selected the Haiyan vocal mode—drawn from the Xihu Gaoqiang tradition of Fuzhou, a national intangible cultural heritage—as its principal singing style. Musically, it seamlessly blends the classical Haiyan tradition with modern symphonic orchestration, achieving a harmonious interplay between past and present.

 

“This opera boasts a distinctly distinctive vocal style, a rousing choral atmosphere, and stage design that is both minimalist and refined, imbued with an elegant literary sensibility and lyrical undertones,” said Mei Jingzhong, a professor in the Department of Literature and History at the Central Party School. “Its breathtaking beauty is the most striking impression one takes away from the production.” He also believes that staging this work at a university will serve as a valuable introduction to its classic qualities.

 

In the theater, follow Master Tang as he pursues his dreams; in the study, savor the life of this literary giant. The Four Dreams of Linchuan vividly embody Tang Xianzu’s philosophy of “cherishing life.” In a feudal era marked by rigid social hierarchies, Tang Xianzu remarkably upheld a human‑centered outlook, placing people above all else—whether in governance or in his creative work. While serving as the magistrate of Xuwen, he championed education, promoted moral cultivation, and sought to reform customs. He founded Guisheng Academy and articulated his “cherishing life” doctrine: “All beings in the world ought to be held in high regard” (Tang Xianzu, “Preface to Guisheng Academy”). And again: “Which is more precious—the heavens or the earth? Within the universe, only this life matters. Though the waves surge ceaselessly, who truly understands the spirit of cherishing life?” (Tang Xianzu, “Farewell at Guisheng Academy, Left Behind in Xuwen”). He maintained that human beings are the most valuable, and that each person has the right to live and to thrive.

 

“Affection” is another manifestation of the “cherishing life” philosophy. In his first dream play, “The Story of the Purple Hairpin,” he expresses a heartfelt sentiment—“Since we are born into this world, who can truly be without affection”—and, through the tale of Li Yi and Huo Xiaoyu’s love as they struggle against fate, he voices a profound appeal to human nature. In his legendary drama, “The Peony Pavilion,” he weaves the love story of Liu Mengmei and Du Liniang around the motif: “Affection arises without knowing whence; it grows deep and unwavering. The living may die, and the dead may live again,” thereby illuminating the very meaning of life.

 

Always attentive to the liberation and development of individuality, Tang Xianzu’s “Four Dreams of Linchuan” are by no means mere love stories; rather, they are imbued with profound reflections on the human condition.

 

“All things, in their own way, have their own aspirations.” Today, four centuries after Tang Xianzu’s passing, as we confront the precious cultural legacy he bequeathed, how shall we inherit it? How shall we carry it forward? This is a question that our era must answer.