Though only one play by Gao Ming remains in existence,
his work, The Lute, ranks among the greatest
of China’s literary creations. Gao Ming’s early
life was spent under Mongol rule. His father died
when Gao was very young, and the playwright was
raised by his mother.At an early age, he showed the
deep respect for family tradition that would become
a hallmark of his dramatic work.
Because the jinshi (chin-shih) examination, a
civil service test, was not given during the Mongol
regime, Gao Ming was not able to pursue a career
in the government immediately after finishing his
schooling. The jinshi was not reinstated until 1342,
when Gao was almost 40 years old. He passed the
exam in 1344 and received his first government
post later that year as a judicial officer in Chuzhou
(Ch’u-chou), where he became respected for his
literary talents and his integrity. A transfer to a
naval post in 1348 began a swift decline in his political
ambitions.
Gao Ming retired from government service in
the 1350s and moved to the town of Lishe (Li-she),
where he began to develop his writing skills in
earnest. He wrote The Lute during this period, as
well as many poems (shi, or shih) and songs (ci, or
tz’u). Though he achieved some fame during his
lifetime for his poetry, only one ci and 50 shi remain
in existence.As a result, The Lute is the source
of Gao Ming’s present fame.
The Lute tells the story of an ambitious young
student, Cai Bojie (Ts’ai Po-chieh), who has spent
his youth studying for the jinshi examination.
However, when it is time to take the exam, Cai is
reluctant to leave his poverty-stricken, ailing parents
and his young wife, Wuniang (Wu-niang).
After his parents and wife insist that he go to the
capital to take the test, Cai reluctantly leaves and
passes the test with the highest marks in the country.
He marries the daughter of a government minister
and lives in his father-in-law’s mansion.
Meanwhile, a famine ravages his hometown, and
his parents soon die from malnutrition.Wuniang
journeys to the capital in search of Cai, singing and
playing the lute on her travels.When she reaches
the imperial city, she is reunited with Cai, and the
two, along with Cai’s second wife, return to his
hometown and observe the traditional three-year
mourning period for Cai’s parents. The play ends
with Cai and his wives receiving a commendation
from the emperor for their displays of virtue during
their period of mourning.
The play has been recognized for its strong
moralistic themes, and it is regarded as one of the
Ming dynasty’s greatest plays. Technically, The Lute
also stands out for its complex songs and Gao
Ming’s use of colloquial and poetic dialogue. The
play has become part of the standard repertoire
of the Chinese theater and was adapted into a
Broadway musical, Lute Song, in 1946.
An English Version of a Work by Gao Ming
The Lute: Kao Ming’s P’i-p’a chi. Translated by Jean
Mulligan. New York: Columbia University Press,
1980.