?????? ???? ???? Cantonese Opera Sacrifice of a Princess

Published on: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 04:16:43 -0800

??? is a Cantonese Opera I watched many times over the years, initially not knowing what it was about. It was first made into a movie in 1959, starring Opera singers, Yam Kim Fei and Bak Suit Sin, both ladies, but Yam impersonated a man in all her movies. I choose to upload the 1976 version starring their pupils who sing almost exactly like them because this newer version is superior in video and audio quality. The Emperor of the Ming dynasty had just approved of his future son-in-law who won the heart of his daughter with poetry. At that moment, The Chings attacked and took over the palace. The Emperor committed suicide with his family but Princess Cheung Ping survived. To win the favour of his subjects, the new King of the Ching dynasty adopted the Princess and proceeded with the grand wedding. To show their loyalty to the Ming emperor, the newly-weds took their own lives on the wedding night. The Cantonese Opera is too beautiful to be translated. Something will be "lost in translation." The Song is the grand finale of the opera, sung on the wedding night, the couple are dressed in exquisite finery. The Princess and her groom express their love for each other and their loyalty to the former dynasty, especially the Emperor, before they take their own lives. I have added English subtitles for my friends here on youtube. Hope you will like this as much as I did. Regards, Jeremy

Author: canaanoptical
Keywords: ?????? ??? ???
Added: February 11, 2008