Romance of Western Bower (西厢记)

Since the apperance of this play The Romance of the Western Chamber in the thirteenth century, it has enjoyed unparalleled popularity. The play has given rise to innumerable sequels, parodies, and rewritings; it has influenced countless later plays, short stories, and novels and has played a crucial role in the development of drama criticism. The theme of the drama is an attack on feudal mores, supporting the longing of young people in those days for freedom of marriage, although it follows the timeworn pattern of a gifted scholar and a beautiful lady falling in love at first sight. This book, with plain words, intends to help foreign readers understand the story and appreciate classic Chinese opera.（《西厢记》描写的是相国小姐崔莺莺与书生张生在普救寺萍水相逢，一见钟情，历经磨难，并最后有情人终成眷属的故事。）