| Summary: “The Autumn River” is adapted from “The Autumn River” in The Jade Hairpin Tale, a legendary play written by the renowned playwright Gao Lian in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). It tells the love story between Chen Jiaolian and Pan Bizheng. Chen Jiaolian, the daughter of the Governor of Kaifeng Prefecture in the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127), was separated from her mother as they fled during the invasion of the troop of the State of Jin (1115-1234). She had no choice but to become a nun in Nyuzhen Taoist Temple and got her Taoist name Chen Miaochang. In the meantime, Pan Bizheng, the nunnery master's nephew, was too ashamed to go back to face his parents after his failure in the imperial examination, so he chose to stay in the nunnery for a while. The two young people gradually fell in love through mutual understanding of songs and poems about their heartfelt feelings. Pan Bizheng's uncle scolded the two lovers when he found their secret meeting. In order to end their relationship, he banished Pan Bizheng from the nunnery and sent him to Lin'an (today's Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province) to take another imperial examination. Unable to bear the separation from her love, Chen Miaochang bravely escaped from the temple and hired a boat to catch up with Pan Bizheng. With the great help of the compassionate boatman, the two young people were reunited on the Autumn River. Thus, the tragic beginning of their story ended in blissful love. |
