Prints of the West Chamber, 21 Prints, Ming Chongzhen's 13th Year Min Qiling Six-color Overprint, Collection of the Museum of Oriental Art, Cologne, Germany
"The Legend of the West Chamber" is a work by Wang Shifu, a famous opera artist in the Yuan Dynasty, which tells the love story of scholar Zhang Sheng and Cui Xiangguo's daughter Yingying. This engraving of "The Legend of the West Chamber" was compiled by Min Qiling, a publisher in the late Ming Dynasty. There are a total of 21 prints in this set, the frontispiece is a portrait of a warbler, and then 20 are corresponding to the lyrics of the main text of "The Legend of the West Chamber", one out of one. This is a six-color overprint of Min in the thirteenth year of Ming Chongzhen, which is now in the collection of the Museum of Oriental Art in Cologne, Germany.
This set of Western Chamber drawings integrates elements such as marquee lanterns, Jingde porcelain, and marionettes into the paintings, with a peculiar conception and skillful technique, marking the peak of Ming Dynasty printmaking and becoming one of the important topics in the history of Chinese printmaking. So far, it is known that Min Qiling published the only one in the West Chamber.
"The Legend of the West Chamber" is a work by Wang Shifu, a famous opera artist in the Yuan Dynasty. The whole play tells the story of Zhang Hui (the word Junrui), a scholar who stayed overnight in the Pufu Temple in Shanxi, and met Cui Yingying, the daughter of the former Cui Xiangguo, who returned to his hometown to live in the west chamber of the temple, and fell in love with each other because of his poetry. The rebel general Sun Feihu led his subordinates to admire the temple, and wanted to rob Cui Yingying, if he did not hand over Yingying within three days, "all the Jialan were burned, and the monks and laymen were cut in inches, leaving no one."
Yingying's mother, the old lady Zheng, declared that whoever could save his daughter would marry him, and Zhang Sheng wrote a distress letter to his old "White Horse General" Puzhou Du Taishou, which was surrounded by a monk (Hui Ming), and Du Taishou sent troops to relieve the siege. Later, the old lady regretted her marriage because of the family's inappropriateness, but only gave a bonus and asked Yingying to worship Zhang Sheng as a righteous brother to thank her for rescue. Zhang Sheng fell ill under grief, and Yingying was also greatly hurt, and later with the help of Yingying's maid matchmaker, the two secretly exchanged letters, and finally succeeded in tryst.
In the end, the old lady found out about the affair and wanted to punish the two, but because the matchmaker argued with reason, in desperation, the old lady ordered Zhang Sheng to go to Beijing to catch the exam.
Statue of a warbler. Picture of a woman fanning. The picture is surrounded by a mixed pattern border.
The scene of Zhang Shengchu going to the Pufu Temple to stay
After Zhang Sheng met Yingying by chance, he asked the matchmaker for the reason.
Zhang Sheng and Yingying are rewarded across the wall
Zhang was born in the meditation hall and saw the warbler again
Du Qu and Hui Ming pursued the rebel general Sun Feihu
The matchmaker was ordered to invite Zhang Sheng to the banquet
Mrs. Cui was married during the banquet
The warbler listens to Zhang Sheng's piano at night
Zhang Sheng asked the matchmaker to pass on the book to the warbler
Yingying Zhan reads Zhang Sheng's letters
Zhang Sheng jumped over the wall to meet the warbler
张生因相思成疾，莺莺着红娘递简
Yingying went to the appointment and had a meeting with Zhang Shenghuan
The old lady saw through the inside story and tortured the matchmaker
The warbler bid farewell to Zhang Sheng in the ten-mile long pavilion
Zhang was born in the Caoqiao shop, and Mengying eloped and was captured by thieves
Zhang was born in the Caoqiao shop, and Mengying eloped and was captured by thieves
Yingying returned to Zhang Sheng
Zheng Heng cheated on marriage and was ridiculed by the matchmaker
Zhang Sheng and the first official went to the Pufu Temple to marry Yingying
Min Qiling (1580-1662?), a native of Wucheng (now Huzhou). It is as famous as the famous book engraving writer Ling Mengchu. He is the author of "Six Books".
"The Legend of the West Chamber" is one of the "Six Geniuses" in China. It was first based on the legendary "Huizhen Ji" written by the Tang Dynasty poet Yuan Zhen, and was later adapted into a miscellaneous drama by Wang Shifu of the Yuan Dynasty, known as "the final work of the Yuan Miscellaneous Opera", which has a great influence on Chinese language, culture and other aspects.