Si4-Lang2-Tan4-Mu3 -a story

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synopsis

A Visit to Mother

This play, called in Chinese Si4-Lang2-Tan4-Mu3 , is one of
the Peking Opera plays which adopt  the famous Legends of the
Yang Generals. The story took place in the Northern Song4
Dynasty (960 -1126 A.D.). A Visit to Mother, also known as
Si4-Lang2 Visits His Mother, describes the effort of the fourth
son of the Yang family to pay a secret visit to his elderly
mother.

In a fierce battle with the Liaos who had occupied a large area
in the northern and the north-eastern regions of China, only
3 of the 8 sons of the patriach of the Yang family escaped
death or captivity. Yang2 Yan2-Hui, the fourth son, who was
captured by the Liaos in the battle, now lives under an
assumed identify. Unawares that he was a member of the
famous Yang family, the Empress Dowager of Liao gave the hand of
Princess Lion Mirror to him, thus making him a royal consort to
her own daughter.

Fifteen years after he lost touch with his family, Yang2 Yan2-Hui
learns that his brother Yan2-Zhao and his elderly mother are
temporarily stationed on the other side of the border. He agonizes
over his secret wish to cross the border to visit his mother.

Noticing that her husband apppears to be in deep sorrow lately,
the Princess manages to find our his trouble and offers her
help. She succeeds in tricking her mother into giving her the
much-needed border pass and sends her husband off to visit
his family.

Once at the border, Yan2-Hui is quickly captured by his own adolescent
nephew, Yang2 Zong-Bao3, who immediately brings him to his family,
the Marshall Yang2 Yan2-Zhao. What follows is a series of
reunions between Yan2-Hui and his brothers, his sisters, his
mother, and the wife he left behind 15 years ago. Everyone is
overwhelmed with surprise, love and sadness and expresses
his or her emotions through many beautiful arias, some of which are
the most popular ones in the Peking Opera repertoire.
Despite their effort to keep him from leaving them again, Yan2-Hui
insists on returning to Liao, so the Princess and their infant
son may be spared of their lives by the Empress Dowager, who is
bound to find out about his treasonous behaviour and punish his
wife and son.

Not surprisingly, Yan2-Hui is sentenced to death by the
Empress Dowager upon his return. In spite of the many appeals
made by the Princess and her own brothers on behalf of
Yan2-Hui, the Empress is firmly determined not to pardon him.
It is not until the Princess petends to take her own life that the
Empress agrees to forgive him. Yan2-Hui and the PRincess are
happy and gratefully that they can be together again.

This play was refined by the guidance of the Empress Dowager
Ci2  Xi3 of the Qing1 dynasty and best performed by
Tan2 Xin1  Pei2, an actor who was said to be able to perform
more than 300 plays.