The Grand Substitution

The Grand Substitution (1965)

萬古流芳

With China under control of a weak Emperor, two officials compete to steer the future destiny of the land. Chiu believes the people are the future of China, while the diabolical Tu wishes to grind the people beneath an iron heel. Tu decides to take out Chiu's family, but one lone infant escapes.

Date of release
1965-04-14
TMDB
7.5 / 10 (2)
Runtime
1h 56m
Genres
Music, History, Drama
Director
Yan Jun

Casting

Interesting facts

The Orphan of Zhao is a Chinese play from the Yuan dynasty, attributed to the 13th-century dramatist Ji Junxiang (紀君祥). The play has as its full name The Great Revenge of the Orphan of Zhao. The play is classified in the zaju genre of dramas. It is divided in six parts, comprising five acts and a wedge, which may be an interlude or — as it is in this case — a prologue. It contains both dialogue and songs.

Background

Until Ji Junxiang's play in the 13th century, the story appeared in prose form as historical narrative. After Ji's play, stage drama was the main form, with numerous regional operas, some completely independent of his play.

The Records of the Grand Historian, written by the historian Sima Qian from the Han dynasty, contains a chapter surrounding the events of the Zhao family. These records were adapted by Ji Junxiang in The Orphan of Zhao. The play revolves around the theme of familial revenge, which is placed in the context of Confucian morality and social hierarchical structure.

During the Yuan dynasty, The Great Revenge of the Orphan of Zhao (趙氏孤兒大報仇), also known as The Orphan of Zhao’s Wronged Revenge (趙氏孤兒冤報冤) or simply The Orphan of Zhao, swept across the country and became one of the representative masterpieces of Yuan zaju drama.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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