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beautiful Cui Yingying, who overcome various obstacles to marriage to her cousin Zheng Heng. The desperate Zhang
finally unite in marriage. Fig. 1 shows a rearrangement of withdraws to his room, where Hongnian suggests he plays
the porcelain panels on this screen, illustrating the original the zither to arouse Yingying’s feelings and following various
plot of the drama in chronological order from right to left. failed attempts to win Yingying’s affection, she finally relents.
The story commences on this screen with an introductory Yingying’s mother discovers the affair and while trying to
panel depicting Zhang Sheng and Hongniang, Cui Yingying’s reprimand Hongniang for helping the couple, she agrees that
maid, before depicting their first encounter at the Monastery in order to preserve the family’s honour, Yingying should be
of Universal Salvation in Puzhou, when Zhang falls deeply in allowed to marry Zhang provided he passes the civil service
love and decides to remain at the monastery to pursue her. examinations. Zhang therefore bids Yingying farewell at
However, his plans are threatened by the capture of Puzhou Shili Changting (‘ten-mile pavilion’) and heads to the capital,
and the monastery by the bandit Flying Tiger Sun and his and on the first night of his journey dreams that Yingying
army, who demands Yingying’s hand in marriage. Zhang asks and Hongniang join him, but are threatened by soldiers who
his old friend Du Que for help in order to fight off the bandit capture the women. The screen ends with a panel showing
after Yingying’s mother promises him his daughter’s hand Zhang’s success in attaining the civil examinations and his
in return of her freedom from the bandit. Despite fighting off return to Yingying to fulfil his promise of marriage, and a panel
Flying Tiger Sun and his army, Yingying’s mother retracts depicting Hongniang.
the offer with the excuse that she was already promised in
IMPORTANT CHINESE ART 169
