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.
Tang Xianzu’s Story | In Grandmother Lady Wei’s Embrace
Author:
Source:
Time:
2023-10-18
Grandmother Lady Wei’s embrace 
"Come, come into my arms."
An elderly woman drew little Tang Xianzu into her arms. This woman was none other than Tang Xianzu’s grandmother, Madam Wei. Gently patting his back and swaying slightly, she hummed a folksong from their hometown. Strangely enough, the little boy, who had been coughing violently, curled up in his grandmother’s embrace; his cough seemed to ease almost at once, and he drifted off to sleep, sweetly.
From a young age, Tang Xianzu was especially close to his grandmother. It so happened that when Tang Xianzu was born, his mother, Lady Wu, though only in her twenties, was frail and often ill, spending most of her time between her bed and the medicine pot; as a result, she was unable to raise her child herself. Thus, the heavy responsibility of nurturing Tang Xianzu, the family’s firstborn grandson, fell upon his grandmother’s shoulders.
Grandmother was kind and generous, a venerable elder who deeply cherished the Dao and practiced Buddhism. A Taoist priest once declared that she was none other than Lady Nan Yue incarnate, endowed with the compassionate heart of a bodhisattva. She enjoyed robust health, was well‑read and refined in her manners; even at the age of ninety, her hearing remained sharp and her eyes clear, enabling her to read minuscule print. From a glance, she could discern the shapes of ships two li away, and her steps were light and nimble, no less sprightly than those of the young. In his eulogy for Lady Wei, Tang Xianzu’s close friend Shuai Ji offered an exaggerated portrait of the ninety‑year‑old: “Though past ninety, she showed no sign of waning vigor; her teeth fell out only to grow anew, her hair turned white yet remained lustrous, her gaze was bright and piercing, and her tender hands were never calloused. Suddenly, without illness, she vanished as if borne aloft across the plain. Her body seemed frail, yet her complexion shone with fresh radiance. All alike recounted that she had attained ascension through the dissolution of the flesh, and hailed her as a supreme immortal. Long ago, she dreamed of Mount Nan Yue, where a jade maiden descended to earth; after a brief sojourn among mortals, she departed on the back of a calf.”
The handsome scholar described Lady Wei as a celestial immortal from the Daoist tradition who had temporarily descended to the mortal realm, her death nothing more than a “body‑transcending” ascension to immortality. Though these words may be somewhat exaggerated, they nonetheless attest to Lady Wei’s robust health and long life.
When Tang Xianzu was born, Lady Wei was already sixty-three years old. She showered this first male grandchild with boundless affection and meticulous care. As a child, Tang Xianzu was often sick; whenever he fell ill, Lady Wei could not bear to let him rest alone in bed. She would hold him close, softly humming folk songs from their hometown to lull him to sleep—so much so that, in later years, Tang Xianzu developed a peculiar habit: whenever he was unwell, he could only drift off peacefully when cradled in his grandmother’s arms. Even after he turned ten or eleven and had been admitted as a student to the county academy, he would still occasionally act like a spoiled child, falling asleep with his head resting on his grandmother’s arm. Her warm embrace became the cradle in which young Tang Xianzu grew and thrived.
As he grew older, though Tang Xianzu no longer slept in his grandmother’s arms as a child, he remained deeply dependent on her to manage his daily life. When his friends came to visit, it was she who warmly and attentively entertained them; when it came to packing his books and belongings, she would carefully arrange and air them out, ensuring that not a single moth ever took hold. Whenever he set out on his travels to study, she would help him prepare his luggage, see him off at the door, and earnestly urge him to take care of himself. Though her heart ached with reluctance, she always forced herself to hold back tears in front of her beloved grandson, for fear of saddening him. And if she did not receive a timely letter from him assuring his safety, she would turn to prayer and divination, beseeching the gods to keep her grandson healthy and well while he was away.
Not only did she assume the role of mother, attending to Tang Xianzu’s daily life, but Grandmother Lady Wei also served as his first teacher, using the exemplary deeds of illustrious figures from classical texts to impart moral instruction, urging him to emulate the worthy and strive to become a virtuous statesman of outstanding talent. In his “Ode to the Spring of Age,” Tang Xianzu wrote that his grandmother “guided her infant with the wisdom of ancient records.”
Thus, Tang Xianzu cherished a profoundly deep affection for his grandmother, Madam Wei; even while living far from home, he often dreamed of her at night. He always harbored a profound sense of gratitude toward her, and in order to fulfill his filial duties, he declared that “in my private heart, I do not seek official success”—that is, he would willingly forgo the pursuit of fame and fortune, choosing instead to remain by her side.
Copyright © Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall of Fuzhou City (Fuzhou Tang Xianzu Culture and Art Center) Technical Support:China Enterprise Dynamics-Nanchangvertical strokeSEO
