Liyuan Theatre Programs

1 Eight Immortals Crossing Sea

The eight immortals attended the birthday banquet of Queen Mother and got dead drunk. On their way home, they had to cross the raging East Sea. Each used his own skills and power to do it, which agitated the East Sea and the Fairy Goldfish. The Fairy Goldfish argued with the Eight Immortals; and the Eight Immortals felt indefensible and pretended to be drunk and fought with the Fairy Goldfish, but were defeated. They apologized to the Fairy Goldfish and then crossed the sea. Liyuan Theatre Opera

2 Presenting a pearl on the rainbow bridge

This play originates in a fairy tale. A fairy maiden（Lingbo）admired a young scholar (Bai Yong) for his talents.One day they unexpectedly met on the Rainbow Bridge-and it was love at first sight! Fairy Lingbo sent Bai Yong a pearl symbolizing their eternal love. This went against the rules of Heaven, so God Erlang led Samgharam, Baby-Faced Nezha and other heavenly soldiers to capture Fairy Lingbo. But Fairy Lingbo led the water goblins and defeated God Erlang, and finally married Bai Yong.

3 Death of Yu Ji

Warring leaders Liu Bang and Xiang Yu agreed to a truce and drew a demarcation line at Honggou. Liu’s generl feigned surrender to Xiang and then successfully lured Xiang and his troops into an ambush. Xiang and his troops were surrounded and couldn’t break through. When his soldiers heard their folk songs sung from the enemy, they took it for granted that their fellow soldiers had given up fighting. and their morale went down. Xiang realized that the fight was lost and indulged in his drinks in despair. He bid fatewell to his lover, Yu Ji, who danced her last dance before killing herself with a sword. Though Xiang broke through the tight encirclement and got lost, he felt ashamed of seeing his countrymen and killed himself by cutting his throat by the side of Wu River.

4 Goddess of Heaven Scattering Flowers

Sakyamuni heard that Vimalakirti was sick and asked Manjuari to lead all the disciples to see Vimalakirti. and asked the goddess to scatter flowers to bring fortune to him. The goddess departed from All Fragrant Land and traveled a long distance Four Sramaneras discussed Dharma and took care of Vimalakirti,and manjuari meditated with him.Then he goddess came and scattered flowers.

5 Havoc in the Dragon’s Palace

The play was based on the famous Chinese classic “Journey to the West”. Monkey king, sun wukong and his fellows gathered in the Huaguo mountain. Monkey king went to the Dragon Palace under the sea asking for a weapon from the Dragon king. He got a very powerful stick(As-You-Will Gold-Banded Cudgel).which could calm the sea. Later, he fought with the Dragon King.

6 Flood Over Jinshan Mountain

“Flood Over Jinshan Mountain” is an act in drama White Snake Fairy. Xu Xian went to offer incense to Buddha in Jinshan Mountain but was detained by Monk Fahai. Snake Fairies Bai Suzhen with Xiaoqing went to the temple to solicit Fahai to let Xu Xian go. For Fahai had refused, Bai Suzhen was beyond endurance and flooded over jinshan Mountain. Fahai also retaliated and defeated Bai Suzhen for she was pregnant.

7 Flame immortal blocking the way

This play originated from a fairy tale: a white ape wanted to pick peaches in the Peach Garden for his ailing mother, but was blocked enroute by the Flame Immortal.The white ape finally

9、Eighteen Arhats Fighting Wu Kong
This play is based on the Chinese classic “journey to the West”, Sun Wu Kong wreaked havoe in Heaven and was thrown into the Eight Trigram stove of the Supreme Lord Laotse. Unespectedly,Sun Wu Kong was not burned to death under the high temperature,but instead his eyes became fiery and his pupils golden. He broke the stove and fled Heaven. The Jade Emperor then asked the help of Buddha, and Buddha led the eighteen Arhats to caprure Wu Kong. Wu Kong, using his magical powers, defeated the eighteen Arhats and returned to the Mountrain of Flower and Fruit.

10、Pick Up the Jade Bracelet
During the Ming Dynasty, a young scholar named Fu Peng admired and fell in love with Sun Yujiao,a beautiful young girl. He deliberately dropped his jade bracelet in front of Sun’s house. This, however, was seen by Madam Liu, a matchmaker, who later asked Sun for an embroidered shoe as a love token, and promised to act as matchmaker for the two youths.

11、 Autumn River
In Song Dynasty, Scholar Pan Bizheng, nephew of the old nun, while preparing for the official test at the nunnery, became acquainted and fell in love with Chen Miaochang, a young and well-educated nun. The old nun was furious and forbade them to continue their relationship,finally forcing Pan Bizheng to leave for Linan. After hearing this, Chen ran away from the nunnery in pursuit of Pan Bizheng. By the side of the Qiujiang River, she looked anxiously for a ferry boat. She met a jocular, elderly boatman, who intentionally delayed her with tricks. At last, the boatman helped Chen Miaochang catch up with her lover.

12、Stopping the horse
In BeiSong Dynasty, Yang Ba-jie(the 8th sister), under the orders of She Taijun (Grandma she) to dress as a man, sneaked into Liao barracks to collect military information. On her way home, she was stopped by innkeeper Jiao Guang-pu, soliciting her into his inn. Thingking that her true identity had been discovered,Yang Ba-jie wanted to kill the innkeeper. After a struggle,she discovered that Jiao Guang-pu was a general of the NanSong Dynasty staying in the Liao Kingdom because of war.With only one pass permit, Yang Bajie asked him to pretend to be her groom, and they went back together to NanSong hometown.

13、Stealing Sliver in Storage
After Bai Suzhen (the white snake) married Xu Xian ,she asked Xiao Qing (the green snake) to steal sliver in storage of Qiantang County. Xiao Qing defeated the storehouse guards and stole the silver.

14、The Crossroads
Jiao Zan, a senior officer of the Song Dynasty, was exiled under guard to Shamen Island, for killing a treacherous court official. Marshal Yang ordered Ren Tanghui to protect Jiao in secret. Ren and Jiao spent the night at the Crossroad Inn. Innkeeper Liu Lihua believed that Ren intended to murder Jiao,so he stole into Ren’s room and fought with him in the dark. Only when the innkeeper’s wife came in with a candle did the three realize the misunderstanding.

15、Hu Village
This play is drawn from the Chinese classic“Outlaw of the Marshes”. Song Jiang led the rebels of Liangshan Mountain to attack Zhu Village. Hu sanniang, the fiancée of Zhu Biao, of the neighboring Hu Village, came to the rescue and captured Wang Ying, one of the rebels. He was later was captured himself by Lin Chong, another of the rebels. This play lays much emphasis on the singing and acting of the lady warrior as well as on the dances of the Peking Opera.

16、Stealing Immortal Herbs
This is an episode of “The Romance of the White Snake”. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, Xu Xian advised his wife, Bai Suzhen (the white Snake Lady, to drink some medicated wine. At her dead drunkenness, Bai showed herself in her true colors: a white snake. At the sight of this, Xu died of fright. To revive her husband ,Bai went to the Forbidden Mountains to steal magic herbs.There she founght with the guardscrane boys and deer boys-and found the herbs she wanted and revived Xu.