The Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou is a comprehensive cultural venue built to commemorate Tang Xianzu, one of the world’s hundred great cultural figures and a master of Ming‑dynasty drama in China. It is also one of Jiangxi Province’s ten major memorial halls dedicated to historical luminaries.

Appreciation of a Fine Work | “The Peony Pavilion” and Xiangshan’ao

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2023-12-21

1617 The annual edition includes an illustration from the twenty-first scene, “Meeting and Encounter,” of The Peony Pavilion: A Dream of the Red Chamber, depicting the imperial commissioner Miao Shunbin’s visit to Duobao Temple on Xiangshan Ridge to offer a treasure.

It is said that the Portuguese poet Luís de Camões ( Luís Vaz de Camões ) Once he came to Macau, this exiled poet composed a passage of “The Song of the Lusitanians” within a stone cave on Phoenix Mountain. The Lusiads ), this epic later became a literary classic [Note 1]. In fact, there is another literary classic that has some connection to Macau, and whose author even incorporated Macau into the narrative—namely, Tang Xianzu’s “The Peony Pavilion.”

“The Record of the Peony Pavilion” tells the romantic tale of Liu Mengmei, a scholar who brings his dream‑born beloved, Du Liniang, back to life, as the two transcend barriers of distance, social status, and even life and death. In the story, Liu Mengmei pays a visit to his friend Han Zicai. Though impoverished, Liu is devoted to his studies; his friend suggests that he journey to “Xiangshan’ao” in search of the imperial commissioner Miao Shunbin [Note 2]. At Xiangshan’ao stands the “Duobao Temple,” built by foreign devils and presided over by monks who venerate the “Bodhisattva of All Treasures.” Every three years, emissaries from various lands arrive by boat, bearing precious offerings to make a “ritual of treasure” before the Bodhisattva—and Miao Shunbin is precisely the imperial commissioner tasked with collecting these treasures to present to the court.

Seizing the opportunity of the “ritual to honor the treasures,” Liu Mengmei made his way to Xiangshan’ao and, without delay, ascended to Duobao Temple to pay his respects to Miao Shunbin. He expressed his desire to behold these wondrous rarities, and Master Miao, ever generous, proceeded to introduce them one by one: among them were gemstones such as cat’s-eye and emerald, as well as precious woods like coral trees and ironwood blossoms—each treasure having been brought from lands far beyond the seas. Though before Liu Mengmei they all appeared to be priceless imports, he nonetheless suspected that none of them were “true treasures.” Liu Mengmei declared frankly that he was a man of talent, destined to serve the imperial court—that, indeed, was the kind of “true treasure” Miao should present to the emperor. Alas, he lacked the funds to make the journey to the capital and seek an audience with the sovereign. Seeing Liu Mengmei’s unwavering confidence, Miao Shunbin bestowed upon him some travel money and sent him north to take the civil-service examinations, thus setting in motion this extraordinary tale of fate intertwined with the “Peony Pavilion.”

Although “The Peony Pavilion” is set in the Southern Song dynasty, the Xiangshan’ao depicted by Tang Xianzu was clearly modeled on Macau in Xiangshan County. 1591 In that year, Tang Xianzu submitted a memorial to the Wanli Emperor, denouncing corrupt policies and impeaching high-ranking officials. In a fit of anger, the emperor demoted him and assigned him to Xuwen County in Guangdong as a dian shi—a local official ranking below the ninth grade. By then, the Portuguese had already been settled in Macau for several decades; during his time in Guangdong, Tang Xianzu must have heard of it, and may even have visited Macau.

In “The Peony Pavilion,” the imperial commissioner Miao Shunbin is tasked by the court with collecting exotic treasures from foreign lands to present to the emperor. In fact, during the Ming dynasty, the “Shibo Si”—the office responsible for overseeing Guangzhou’s maritime trade—was controlled by eunuchs appointed directly by the emperor. These officials collected duties on imported goods on his behalf. Meanwhile, Tang Xianzu learned that Xiangshan County maintained an incense‑inspection bureau that procured fragrances. During the Jiajing era ( 1522 – 1566 ), the imperial court repeatedly ordered the procurement and presentation of dragon’s blood incense; it was said that the Portuguese could supply such incense, and thus they were permitted to settle in Macau [Note 3]. Even during the Wanli era, the court still spent thousands of taels of gold to purchase these imported spices. Tang Xianzu earnestly sought to have incense burn into clouds that would safeguard the emperor, rather than dissipate into nothingness. In Liu Mengmei’s self‑recommendation to Miao Shunbin, Tang Xianzu both satirized the court’s wasteful expenditure of vast sums in pursuit of treasures and voiced a protest against the emperor’s disregard for material value.

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Tang Xianzu observed that these “Jiahu” merchants arrived at Xiangshan’ao aboard trading vessels, bringing with them an array of dazzling jewels. At the time, however, the Portuguese primarily exported silver from Japan and the Americas while purchasing vast quantities of silk, tea, and porcelain in China. Meanwhile, through interpreters, Tang Xianzu learned of overseas developments: bustling fleets shuttled back and forth between Champa and other ports; merchant ships harvested fragrant woods on “Kyūshū Island” (perhaps referring to Sumatra in Indonesia); and Batak maidens were said to be strikingly beautiful. Though the sea was then regarded as the edge of the known world, at Xiangshan’ao Tang Xianzu nonetheless beheld glimpses of what lay beyond. This thriving trade in silver and silk not only fueled Macau’s early prosperity but also forged vital connections between China and the wider world.

In 1598 In that year, Tang Xianzu resolved to leave officialdom and return to his native Jiangxi, dedicating himself in his “Yumintang” to creative work, including the play “The Peony Pavilion.” He also recorded his observations of Macau in the twenty-first scene, “Visiting and Meeting.” As for his own experiences, Tang Xianzu preserved four poems in his “Yumintang Poems,” using verse to depict the scene of Macau at the end of the sixteenth century [Note 4].

In his “Record of the Peony Pavilion,” Tang Xianzu mentions the “Duobao Temple,” and some scholars believe it was modeled after the church of the St. Paul’s College in Macau. Although the exact prototype of the Duobao Temple remains unknown, to Tang Xianzu, Macau was not merely a commercial port; it was also home to numerous “monks” who built “temples”—that is, missionaries and churches. During Tang Xianzu’s period of demotion, the Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci was stationed in Shaozhou, Guangdong (present-day Shaoguan), diligently seeking to win over the local gentry and delving into ancient Chinese texts. At that time, Ricci still dressed in the attire of a Chinese monk and even established a “Xianhua Temple” in Zhaoqing. Only after realizing that such monastic garb did not command much respect did Ricci change his outward appearance, adopting the guise of a Confucian scholar to carry out his missionary work. (Issue No. 37 of “Mad Magazine”)

[Note 1] Whether Luís Vaz de Camões ever visited Macau remains a subject of debate among scholars both in China and abroad.

[Note 2] The sixth scene, “Changtiao,” from “The Peony Pavilion: A Tale of Resurrection.”

[Note 3] In the original text of “Slogan for Collecting Incense at the Xiangshan Incense‑Testing Office,” the line reads, “Like an unbroken silk thread, it plays with the sea dragon; in spring, the great fish rises and spits forth lotus blossoms.” Some scholars contend that this incense was in fact “ahufulong”—that is, opium.

[Note 4] The four poems include “A Quatrain on the Incense Gathered at the Xiangshan Incense‑Testing Office,” “Encountering a Merchant in Xiang’ang,” and “Listening to the Translators of Xiangshan” (two pieces).

Tang Xianzu’s Story | The Passionate Maiden, Huo Xiaoyu

Opera Report | The exquisite lyrics and melodies of “The Peony Pavilion” surpass countless love poems.

Tang Xianzu’s Story | The Passionate Maiden, Huo Xiaoyu

Opera Report | The exquisite lyrics and melodies of “The Peony Pavilion” surpass countless love poems.

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