Princess Cheung Ping (1959)
October 10, 1959Release Date
Princess Cheung Ping (1959)
October 10, 1959Release Date
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Details.
Release DateOctober 10, 1959
Original NameDinu hua
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 42m
Genres
Last updated:
Wiki.
Di Nü Hua is a fictional Chinese story about Princess Changping of the Ming Dynasty and her husband/lover, Zhou Shixian. The first known story was a Kunqu script written in the Qing Dynasty, while the second version was a Cantonese opera from the early 1900s later found in Japan and Shanghai. Little information is available from this early 1900s version. The contemporary prevailing version, not meant to be historically accurate, comes from the second Cantonese opera script.
The story unfolds as Princess Changping and Zhou Shixian are introduced to each other, participating in an arranged marriage.
They meet and get engaged with the blessing of their parents. Her father, the emperor, is overthrown by Li Zicheng. To save herself, the Princess hides as a nun in a monastery, but she happens to meet Zhou again. After being found by the new regime (the Qing dynasty), she follows Zhou's plan to eventually commit suicide. Zhou formulates a plan to make sure that her father is properly buried (without asking for a proper burial ceremony) while her little brother is released to safety. Zhou returns alone to negotiate with the new regime using the bargaining power vested in him by a written request from her. Once the new regime makes good on these promises, the couple return to her former home for a wedding ceremony. They take poison on their wedding night in the palace garden where they first meet.