The Legend of Purple Hairpin

Dir: Lee Tit
Orig Story: Tang Xianzu
Scr/Librettist: Tong Tik-sang
Prod Co: Hawks
Cast: Yam Kim-fai, Pak Suet-sin, Leung Sing-por, Lan Chi Pak, Yam Bing-yee
1959 | B&W | DCP | Cantonese | Chinese Lyrics | 137 min

Tong Tik-sang’s version of The Legend of the Purple Hairpin is based on Tang Xianzu’s chuanqi (drama) of the same name, with references to Tang Dynasty writer Jiang Fang’s novel The Tale of Huo Xiaoyu. The original novel praised Huo Xiaoyu, a courtesan nevertheless moral and faithful in love, while mocking the lustful and fickle Li Yi for jilting her; in the end Xiaoyu cursed him and died of sadness and anger. Tang Xianzu’s version made Xiaoyu the protected daughter of a rich family, and portrayed Li as standing firm under the marshal’s brute force; finally reuniting with Xiaoyu thanks to the Man in Yellow.

Tong Tik-sang’s version used Tang Xianzu’s plot points, but returned Xiaoyu (Pak Suet-sin)’s background to that of a courtesan. He wrote her first meeting Li Yi with the theme of free love. He ‘promoted’ the Man in Yellow (Leung Sing-po) to key character Fourth Lord, who was much more powerful than Marshal Lu. He also wrote Li Yi as being faithful in love. The final scene, ‘Debate to Win Back Her Husband’, is original to Tong Tik-sang. Woven throughout the opera were new family values, human rights, gender equality, free love, monogamy, loyalty in love till death, and women’s rights, values with which 1950s Hong Kong people were concerned. Li Yi’s line, ‘…a real man should love his wife and be loyal to the end...’ won the hearts of many Hong Kong women in the audience. A precise playwright and librettist, Tong Tik-sang has written a satisfying classic that is romantic, sorrowful and makes fun of the rich and powerful. Several years later, Lee Tit made an excellent film of the opera.

# Post-screening talk with Prof Chan Sau-yan

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