''Wang Baochuan and Xue Pinggui'' (), also known by many other names such as ''The Red-Maned Stallion'', ''Wujiapo'', ''Returning to the Cave'', and ''The Story of the Colourful Tower'', is a legend commonly performed in

Chinese opera Traditional Chinese opera (), or ''Xiqu'', is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more tha ...

theatres. The story is set in the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong in the 9th century CE. The story is known in the West as ''Lady Precious Stream'' ("Precious Stream" being a loose translation of the female protagonist's given name, Baochuan), as it was adapted for the British stage by Hsiung Shih-I, a Chinese academic living in England. It was performed at the Little Theatre in John Street, London, by the People's National Theatre, directed by

Nancy Price Nancy Price, CBE (3 February 1880 – 31 March 1970) was an English actress on stage and screen, author, animal welfare activist and theatre director. Her acting career began in a repertory theatre company before progressing to the London stage, ...

and Hsiung, and ran for 1,000 nights. The play was later performed on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

at the

Booth Theatre The Booth Theatre is a Broadway theater at 222 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1913, the theater was designed by Henry Beaumont Herts in the It ...

in New York, produced by

Morris Gest Morris Gest (also Maurice Guest, March 15, 1875 – May 16, 1942) was an American theatrical producer of the early 20th century. Early life Moishe Gershnowitz was born near Vilna (then part of the Russian empire, now Lithuania), Edna Nahshon, "Go ...

Film and TV adaptations

*''Wang Baochuan'', a 1939 Chinese film *''Lady Precious Stream'', a 1950 English TV film *''The Story of Sit Ping-kwai and Wong Bo-chuen'', a 1956 Taiwanese film *''The Story of Wong Bo-Chuan'', a 1959 Hong Kong film *''The Story of Ping Gui'', a 1967 Taiwanese film *''Wang Baochuan and Xue Pinggui'', a 1999 Taiwanese TV series *'' Love Amongst War'', a 2012 Chinese TV series

References

{{China-lit-stub Chinese operas Fictional duos Tang dynasty in fiction Chinese folklore Love stories British plays