About the work
Five-act zaju drama by Wang Shifu from the Yuan dynasty, originally titled "Xixiang Ji" (西廂記), written around 1300. Wang considerably expanded the usual zaju form and, unlike convention, gave singing parts to several characters instead of just one.
Plot
The young examination candidate Zhang Junrui falls in love with Cui Yingying, the daughter of a deceased minister, when he meets her at a monastery. With the help of Yingying's maid Hongniang, who mediates between the lovers, the two overcome her mother's resistance and marry after Zhang passes the imperial examination.
Cultural significance
"The Story of the Western Wing" is considered one of the most famous and influential love dramas in Chinese literary history, and its length and multiple singing roles anticipated the later chuanqi form of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Vincenz Hundhausen translated the work into German in the 1920s.