Hongniang
Hongniang, or Scarlet, is a fictional character from "Yingying's Biography", a Chinese story by Yuan Zhen (779–831), and Romance of the Western Chamber, a Chinese play by Wang Shifu (1250–1337?). She is the maidservant of Cui Yingying.[1]: 156 The character of Hongniang became increasingly important from Yuan Zhen's story to Wang Shifu's play and later versions, eventually becoming the protagonist in the one-act play "Hongniang."[2]: 79
| Hongniang | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Actress Chen Xinyu (陈欣雨) portraying Hongniang in a 2016 Yue opera performance in Tianchan Theatre, Shanghai. | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 紅娘 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 红娘 | ||||||||
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In Wang Shifu's play, Hongniang plays a key role as a witty, cunning, and righteous character who facilitates the love affair between Cui Yingying and Scholar Zhang (Zhang Gong).[2]: 48 Hongniang has entered modern Chinese vocabulary as a synonym for a (female) matchmaker.[2]: 48
References
- Owen, Stephen (1996). The End of the Chinese 'Middle Ages': Essays in Mid-Tang Literary Culture. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-2667-2.
- Wen-Chin, Hsu (2011). "ILLUSTRATIONS OF "ROMANCE OF THE WESTERN CHAMBER" ON CHINESE PORCELAINS: Iconography, Style, and Development". Ars Orientalis. 40: 39–107. ISSN 0571-1371. JSTOR 23075932.
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