Liang Zhu (folk tale)
Liang Zhu ( Chinese 梁祝 ; also: Butterfly Lovers - The butterfly lovers) is a well-known Chinese folk tale. The title is made up of the family names of the lovers, Liang Shanbo (梁山伯) and Zhu Yingtai (祝英台). The story is one of the four great folk tales of China (四大 民間 故事 Si da min wen gu shi).
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The story takes place at the time of the Jin Dynasty in western China.
Zhu Yingtai is the ninth child and the only daughter of the wealthy Zhu family from Shangyu, Zhejiang Province . Contrary to the old tradition, the girl has the dream of going to university. After convincing her father of her plan, she attends lectures in Hangzhou , disguised as a man . There she met Liang Shanbo, a student from Kuaiji . They talk and soon they become friends. On a bridge they swear to me to stay together forever. During the three years at the university, Zhu falls in love with her fellow students. However, he does not notice that Zhu is a woman in disguise.
One day, Zhu received a letter from her father asking her to return home immediately. Although she has vowed not to leave Liang, she has no choice. She has to comply with her father's request and say goodbye to her boyfriend. Determined to stay with him forever, she reveals her true identity to the director's wife. She also leaves a jade pendant there as an engagement gift for Liang.
Liang accompanies Zhu for a while, only to say goodbye. During the trip, Zhu made repeated hints in the hope that Liang would realize that his "friend" was actually a woman. Among other things, she compares her friendship with mandarin ducks , which are a symbol of lovers in Chinese culture. However, Liang does not understand the clues. Ultimately, Zhu Liang offers to introduce him to the "sister". Therefore, he should visit her parents' house in the near future. There he is supposed to marry Zhu's "sister". With this deal, Liang and Zhu reluctantly split up in the Changting Pavilion.
A few months later, Liang visits Zhu's childhood home and realizes that she is a woman. He falls in love with her, and the two swear eternal love to death. However, their happiness together is short-lived, as Zhu's parents have already decided to marry their daughter to Ma Wencai, a wealthy merchant. Liang is devastated and returns alone. His health deteriorates so badly that he becomes seriously ill and dies of his broken heart a few days later.
On the day of her wedding to Ma Wencai, Zhu leaves the ceremony to pay his respects to Liang, whose grave is on the way. She mourns and desperately pleads for the grave to open. With a clap of thunder, the grave opens and Zhu enters without hesitation to be with her Liang. Shortly afterwards, two butterflies appear at the grave and fly away together. The souls of the lovers can finally be together.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Idema, Wilt L .: Old Tales for New Times: Some Comments on the Cultural Translation of China's Four Great Folktales in the Twentieth Century 二十 世紀 中國 四大 民間 故事 的 文化 翻譯. June 2012, accessed November 30, 2018 .
- ^ The Butterfly Lovers. Retrieved November 30, 2018 .