The Flower Princess

An English translation of the Cantonese Opera. It is a serious political drama played out between the Han and non-Han following the fall of the Ming dynasty, and the plot pits romantic love against the lofty Confucian ideals of social hierarchy and moral rectitude.

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This is the first complete English translation of the enormously popular Cantonese Opera. "The Flower Princess" has become the most renowned Cantonese Opera since its 1957 premier in Hong Kong. The opera is a serious political drama played out between the Han and non-Han following the fall of the Ming dynasty, and the plot pits romantic love against the lofty Confucian ideals of social hierarchy and moral rectitude. This is the first complete English translation of the opera, featuring text, song titles, speech types, and choreographic and stage setting, therefore making this volume a superior reference for Chinese opera courses taught in English-speaking institutions worldwide. This edition also features a foreword by Pak Suet Sin (Bai Xuexian), a famous Cantonese Opera actress and one of the interpreters in the original production.