The Most Popular Stories of Sichuan Opera

The stories of Sichuan Opera mainly come from traditional stories, folk legends and daily life events. These stories have profound humanistic connotations and social values. Enjoying a Sichuan Opera performance in theater, you can not only appreciate the wonderful performing arts but also get more idea of Chinese history and culture.

Pijin's Tumbling Lantern

The story takes place in the Sichuan region, where there has been a kind of "pa-ear" culture passed down from ancient times to the present. Simply put, it refers to the situation where the husband is submissive and the wife is dominant in a couple, which actually reflects that the husband loves his wife. In this short play, Pi Jin comes back after playing mahjong. When his wife finds out, he lowers his head and answers his wife's questions pitifully. His wife keeps serious and interrogates Pi Jin with an overbearing attitude. The vivid stage performances of the two vividly demonstrate the "pa-ear" image, adding a humorous Sichuan-Chongqing flavor to the work imperceptibly.

The Story of Funu

It is one of the major Tanxi plays in Sichuan Opera, with a unique characteristic of Sichuan Opera performing arts. It tells the story of the Ming Dynasty. Tao Funu and Xi Xianchun married. But Xi left Tao due to his mother's illness. Su Ran, the magistrate of Hangzhou, coveted Funu's beauty.Thus he detained Tao's family and sent Funu to the Caihua Courtyard to be an official prostitute to fulfill his own desires. With the help of the blind man Jia Lian, Tao Funu wrote down her experience in 'The Story of Funu'. This story spread throughout Hangzhou, attracting the attention of the imperial inspector in Hangzhou. After verifying Su Ran's crimes, he severely punished Su Ran.

Shi Huaiyu's Startling Dream

It's a traditional play about the scholar named Shi Huaiyu. He went to the big city to take the imperial examination. On the way, his illness acted up again. Later, he was rescued by Lianniang, who is a fox fairy, and they got married. After several years, Shi Huaiyu aced the exam and married other. With the arrival of new life, he was tired of Lianniang and killed her. Having a guilty conscience, Shi Huaiyu was restless, haunted by nightmares at night. After waking up from the nightmare, he lost his mind and was finally frightened to death.

Writing on the Fan in Huatian

The short play is about a scholar Bian Ji. He failed the imperial examination in the capital and was stranded in a foreign land. He had to make a living by selling calligraphy and paintings. Liu Yurong, the daughter of a wealthy landlord Liu, came to Huatian to enjoy the flowers with her maid Chunying. When she arrived at Huatian, Liu Yurong saw that the scholar was handsome and immediately fell in love with him. She asked her maid Chunying to take her white fan to Bian Ji and ask him to write a poem on the fan to test his talent. Chunying was illiterate and made a series of jokes during her conversation with Bian Ji. The whole play's plot is full of drama. The continuous coincidences and misunderstandings greatly enrich and enhance the play's performability and viewability. This makes such a life-comedy full of legend and drama in stage practice.

The Story of the Red Plum

The short play is about the beauty Li Huiniang. She was forcefully taken into the mansion of the powerful prime minister Jia Sidao to be a singing girl. When visiting the West Lake, Huiniang met the scholar Pei Shunqing and couldn't help but praise him. Jia Sidao was extremely jealous and killed Huiniang, burying her under a red plum tree. Then he lured Pei Sheng into the mansion, imprisoned him in the study, and tried to seize and kill him. The ghost of Huiniang recognized Pei Sheng, escorted him out of the mansion, and debated with Jia Sidao in court.

• The Characteristics of Sichuan Opera
• Unique Skills of Sichuan Opera
• Famous Sichuan Opera Artists
• The Most Popular Stories of Sichuan Opera
• Where Can I See Sichuan Opera in Chengdu?