Snow in Mid summer

by Guan Hanqing

Guan Hanqing (c. 1241-1320), also known under the sobriquet "the Oldman of the Studio", was a notable Chinese playwright and poet in the Yuan Dynasty. He has been described as among the most prolific and highly regarded dramatists of the Yuan period. Guan spent much of his later life in Dadu and produced about 65 plays, mostly in the vernacular of the time. The complete texts of three of his most popular extant plays are included in this volume.

Genres: Plays, Classics, China, Chinese Literature, School, Drama, Asian Literature

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Guan Hanqing (simplified Chinese: 关汉卿; traditional Chinese: 關漢卿; pinyin: Guān Hànqīng; Wade–Giles: Kuan Han-ch'ing) (c. 1241-1320), sobriquet "the Oldman of the Studio" (齋叟 Zhāisǒu), was a notable Chinese playwright and poet in the Yuan Dynasty. He has been described as among the most prolific and highly regarded dramatists of the Yuan period.[1]

Guan spent much of his later life in Dadu and produced about 65 plays, mostly in the vernacular of the time. Fourteen of his plays are extant, including:

The Injustice to Dou E a.k.a. Snow in Midsummer (感天動地竇娥冤 Gǎn Tiān Dòng Dì Dòu É Yuān)
Saving the Dusty-windy a.k.a. Saving the Prostitute a.k.a. Rescued by a Coquette (趙盼兒風月救風塵 Zhào Pàn Ér Fēng Yuè Jiù Fēng Chén)
The Conference of a Single Dao a.k.a. Meeting the Enemies Alone a.k.a. Lord Guan Goes to the Feast (關大王獨赴單刀會 Guān Dà Wáng Dú Fù Dān Dāo Huì)
The Pavilion of Moon-Worship (閨怨佳人拜月亭 Guī Yuàn Jiā Rén Bài Yuè Tíng)
The Butterfly Dream (包待制三勘蝴蝶夢 Bāo Dài Zhì Sān Kān Hú Dié Mèng)
The Wife-Snatcher (包待制智斬魯齋郎 Bāo Dài Zhì Zhì Zhǎn Lǔ Zhāi Láng)
The Riverside Pavilion (望江亭中秋切膾旦 Wàng Jiāng Tíng Zhōng Qiū Qiē Kuài Dàn)
The Jade Mirror-Stand (溫太真玉鏡臺 Wēn Tài Zhēn Yù Jìng Tái)
Death of the Winged-Tiger General (鄧夫人苦痛哭存孝 Dèng Fū Rén Kǔ Tòng Kū Cún Xiào)

Reviews

[Hend · Rating 4 out of 5]

An old Chinese drama (1271 – 1368) _(snow falls in the middle of summer)symbolizes the injustice committed, a play about ,DOU E a woman who has a rebellious spirit and determination to resist the cruel Oppression fallen on her, she was to be executed (after being tortured)for a crime she didnt commit,To take revenge,at the execution site she makes a final wish that her blood will not stain the ground, and a heavy snow will cover her body after her death although it was summer. And then, there would be a severe drought in her county for the three years. ...
and her wishes were Fulfilled .....

"DOU E:Take pity on one who is dying an unjust death;

Take pity on one whose head will be struck from her body;

Take pity on one who has worked with you in your home;

Take pity on one who has neither mother nor father;

Take pity on one who has served you all these years;

And at festivals offer my spirit a bowl of cold gruel.

MRS. CAI (weeping):
Don't worry. Ah, this will be the death of me!

DOU E:

Burn some paper coins to my headless corpse,

For the sake of your dead son.

We wail and complain to Heaven:

There is no justice! Dou E is wrongly slain!

[Aaron Piccirillo · Rating 2 out of 5]

“All mortal men must die when their time is up.”

was a pretty good show and glad that dou e got her revenge that she deserved. not a lot went on and was kinda boring except for the end. also they repeated sooooo much of the same information- that might be from the translation but idk. wasn’t really anything groundbreaking but still had a funish time.

[Madelein · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Interesting play (well, zaju, chinese opera) overall, and I loved Dou E's revenge, however, the structure was hard to follow and the constant reiteration of plot and introductions was boring.

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a zaju play, so it's a form of Chinese opera built around blended elements--in this case a central story line with music, singing, and some additional performed elements. The plot is very interesting, building on Confucian values and the trend during the Yuan dynasty of detective stories. Dou trades his daughter to Mrs. Cai to marry her son in exchange for the relief of his debt to her. Then thirteen years later, Dou E (as Mrs. Cai renames the daughter) is now a widow, and Zhang blackmails Mrs. Cai into agreeing to marry him, while his son Donkey tries to marry Dou E--but she refuses. When Donkey accidentally poisons his father with soup meant to kill Mrs. Cai, he tries to blackmail Dou E into marrying him in exchange for not taking her to court. However, she still refuses, so he takes her to court, and rather than see Mrs. Cai beaten in the court, Dou E falsely confesses and is executed. She promises three signs that will show her innocence, and they all come to pass. However, it isn't until her father comes back to town--now as a high court official overseeing the justice system--that the case is re-opened. This is what's called a "judgement reversal" play. However, the twist Guan puts on the story is that Dou (the father) only reverses the judgment because Dou E's ghost appears to him and tells him the whole story. He doesn't actually investigate or look into the case on his own, and he doesn't gather any new evidence. Basically, he goes the opposite direction Hamlet does, and simply takes this ghost's word as the basis of how he's going to act in the world.
https://youtu.be/FclUt1LciNw

[Ally Restrepo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars, rounded up
I really really enjoyed this play. It's really short, but it tells a story that will stick with me for a while. The characters go through so much tragedy that it was easy to get bogged down by all the bad that was happening. Still, I ended the script with a little bit of hope as Tou Ngo's father was able to begin the search for justice for her after her unjust execution .
At its core, this is a story about justice and its lack of effectiveness in society. Though many of the reasonings behind Tou Ngo's refusal to marry again are extremely dated (up to and including staying loyal to her dead husband because if she didn't she would be a terrible person), the themes of frustration and exhaustion because the justice system is built to believe men before women are even looked at are still relevant today. These are the things that I'll think about long after I stop reading -- that a play from centuries ago could still be relatable, and how that points out the flaws in our current society that we can and should try to change.

[Brittney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the version in the norton anthology of drama and was surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this play, and wondered about staging both of this was to be done in the modern era as well as back when it was originally written.

[Himali Kothari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in the 13th century, the play may appear overtly anti-feminist on current times. The narrative structure of the characters describing their actions and also frequently breaking the fourth wall was interesting.

[Adam David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent example of Eastern theater. Easy to read and interpret.

[Rene · Rating 2 out of 5]

*1.5, read for theatre literature class

[Gg · Rating 3 out of 5]

idk about this one…

[Alicia Rusthoven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love dou e

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

solid plot, lots of overexplaining, but honestly that made it really easy to follow

[plutonium · Rating 4 out of 5]

kinda fucked but glad it had the ending it did

[jordan kauffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it every part it was actually insane to read and so intriguing and just really really good

[Rebecca Jauregui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had no idea where this was going, but I was locked in

[Rachel A]

I don't know how to rate this play. I had to read it for school.

[river · Rating 2 out of 5]

13th Century Zaju play