Top Four Chinese legendary stories 2/4

All four Chinese love legends have tragic ending

What on earth is love that makes lovers vow to stick together in life and death? When you take a look at some of the most famous Chinese stories about love, whether from history literature myths or legends, there’s a lot of death going on, but it’s romantic, don’t everyone want to live and die with the one- day love. I am sorry I don’t want to be Romeo and Juliet, I want to live, I mean I would want her to live too, I just want to live. Anyway, here are four of the most famous stories about love throughout Chinese history.

The story of Men Jiangnv has been told all around China over the past generations

The legend of Men Jiangnv, with a history of more than 2000 years, has gone through a series of evolution, which has led to a tale having an ever-enriching plot. According to research, the original model of Meng Jiangnu was based on the wife of Qi Liang, a general of the State of Qi in the Spring and Autumn period, described as a well-educated and cultured women in the Commentary of Zuo. After Qi Liang died in a war, his tearful wife went to the suburbs to see his coffin. The state cruller of Qi sent someone to give condolence, but qi Liang’s wife thought that her husband had rendered meritorious services to the state and deserved more sincerity and respect from the state ruler than the condolence given by some messenger in the suburban area, so she declined the state ruler’s courtesy. Later, the state ruler of Qi paid condolence visit to Qi Liang’s home in person and ordered to bury Qi Liang in the suburb of the capital.

In order to prevent invasion of the northern minorities, the government of the Ming dynasty began to build the Great Wall on a large scale, raising a great wrath among the people. To show their discontent with the rulers, the people by changing Qi Liang’s wife into Meng Jianvnu and Qi Liang into Fan Xiliang and adding certain plots such as “Traveling a Thousand Li to Send Warm Clothes”, created the legend Meng Jiangnu’s bitter weeping on the Great wall.

The legend has it that Fan XiLiang, Meng Jiangnu’s husband, was one of the people enlisted to build the Great Wall. Meng Jiangnu prepared warm clothes for her husband by working around the clock and then went to the Great Wall by herself to meet her husband. After a long journey filled with trials and hardships. Meng Jiangnu finally reached the foot of the Great Wall only to find that her husband had already died from toil. At the sad news, Meng Jiangnu pummeled the Great Wall and burst into tears. Suddenly there was a loud noise and more than 800 li of the Great Wall crumbled to dust. At the end, Meng Jiangnu jumped into the vast sea and died for love.

In 2006, the legend of Meng Jiangnu was decalred one of China’s national intangible cultural heritages.

In China, the story of Meng Jiangnu is a household name represented by a lot of interpretations all across the country, which gives an expression to the working people’s hope for peace and a happy family life. Besides various poems and articles, some popular librettos also the story as a theme for adaption and reproduction.