Dou E Yuan窦娥冤

[Xie Daochi]

'Dou E Yuan' (Dou E Treated Unjustly) is my favorite piece of work among Ancient Chinese dramas. I really love the scene when Dou E was treated unjustly and about to be executed, she cursed that 'All of my blood bleed out will be splashed onto the white silk hanging there; now It's the sixth month in Lunar Calendar (about July) and it will snow heavily, and there will be draught for three years.' (血溅白练，六月飞雪，大旱三年) And after that, All these above came true. I really love this tragic feeling. For me, from a view as a Chinese, I consider this cursing an expression of Dou E's hatred towards the society - Dou E had a traumatic past, and she wasn't really complaining about it, as she believed that ‘whatever you do, good or evil, you will be rewarded in a same way'. However, at the moment she was about to be executed, she changed her mind, and began to have hatred towards this disappointing world. At the end, she was rehabilitated with herself in the form of a ghost, and I consider it as a 'typically oriental happy-ending'. 

[Jim]

Thanks, I'd shamefully not even heard of the play but have looked it up on your recommendation and can see it has been something of a cultural touchstone. 感天动地！

[Luxi]

52 minutes ago, Jim said:

I'd shamefully not even heard of the play

 

Me neither, I only knew one Yuan play, now I know 2 and this one looks more interesting than Romance of the Western Chamber. Thanks for posting @Xie Daochi !

 

For anyone else who is curious, here's a start : The Injustice to Dou E - Wikipedia

[Jim]

Just mentioned it to my wife who says I don't watch enough soaps as the 六月飞雪 reference is super well known!