Farewell my concubine (novel)

Farewell my concubine (original title: 霸王別姬 / 霸王别姬, Bàwáng Bié Jī) is a 1985 novel by the Chinese author Lilian Lee (李碧華 / 李碧华, Li Pi-Hua).

The story was first published in German in 1993. Shortly thereafter, the corresponding film by Chen Kaige premiered in German cinemas. This is considered one of the most important works in Chinese cinema by the fifth generation of directors. The film was also highly praised internationally and was even awarded the Palme d' Or.

In terms of content, the work gives an overview of the history of China from the 1920s to the late 1970s. The author is loosely based on the Peking Opera of the same name , which is also the central motif of the novel.

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The protagonists of the novel are two Peking Opera actors whose lives are described from childhood. Both are orphans who were sold by their mothers to Master Guan, the head of an opera school.

At the beginning of the plot, the two boys are around 10 years old and are trained to be actors under strict guidance. The older of the two, Xiao Shitou, is determined to be Sheng , the male lead in the Peking Opera. His much smaller and tender friend Xiao Douzi is said to play the female lead as Dan .

Even after their training, the two friends continue to perform together, albeit under new artist names, and become celebrated stars of the Peking Opera, who receive great recognition, especially for their performance of the opera “Farewell My Concubine”. This opera is about the military leader Xiang Yu , who is at war with Liu Bang and finally has to admit defeat. In this hopeless situation, his dearest concubine Yu Ji asks him to be allowed to die by his side. Xiang Yu denies her this wish, so she kills herself with his sword out of love for him while he is inattentive. This opera is the central motif of the novel.

Xiao Douzi in particular, who is now called Cheng Dieyi, enjoys great popularity in the role of Yu Ji and is beginning to identify more and more with this character. He also falls in love with his Xiang Yu, who is embodied by Xiao Shitou, who has taken the name Duan Xiaolou.

While Dieyi is almost obsessed with operas, Xiaolou begins to neglect them. Ultimately, he even marries the former prostitute Juxian. Juxian is also one of the reasons why the friends continue to alienate each other, which leads to frequent breakups. After a while, however, the two reconciled each time because their brotherly friendship is simply too strong. Both help each other out of serious crises. Nevertheless, Dieyi's love for Xiaolou remains unrequited and ignored by him. Juxian, on the other hand, notices Dieyi's jealousy, which leads to frequent conflicts between the two. Subconsciously, Xiaolou and Dieyi continue to merge with their roles in the Peking Opera.

Over the years, the protagonists have to overcome emotional hurdles as well as social conflicts such as the Boxer Rebellion , the Japanese occupation or the cultural revolution . Xiaolou is captured by the Japanese, which is why Dieyi sings for them to help his friend. For this reason, Dieyi is later captured by the Chinese as a traitor, but can escape the death penalty due to his prominence. The activists of the Cultural Revolution force the actors to self-criticism, which leads to the separation of Xiaolou and Juxian, whereupon Xiaolou kills each other. In addition, the two men are exiled, so that they do not see each other again until after the Cultural Revolution. Dieyi is now the leader of an opera company from Beijing that is traveling to Hong Kong for a few performances . Xiaolou lives there, although he is no longer in the opera business. The two perform “Farewell my concubine” one last time without an audience. In the course of the final scene, Dieyi tries to commit suicide, like Yu Ji. However, he fails and travels back to Beijing with his troops shortly afterwards.

The plot ends with Xiaolou, who in Hong Kong looks melancholy into the future.

Differences between novel and film

The novel and also the film give a comprehensive insight into half a century of Chinese history and the Peking Opera. In some places, however, the novel and the film differ. A serious difference is the ending, for example: while the friends in the book go their separate ways, Dieyi actually kills himself in the film during his final performance.

Individual evidence

Lee, Lilian (1993): Farewell my concubine. The novel for the film, Munich: Goldmann.