Kun Opera - The Tale of Horse Trader

During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), in Baocheng (褒城), Shaanxi (陝西), a horse trader named Li Qi (李奇) remarried Yang Sanchun (楊三春). Yang accompanied Li on his outings and mistreated his children from his first marriage, Baotong (保童) and daughter Guizhi (桂枝). Baotong and Guizhi escaped, with Baotong being rescued and raised by a fisherman, while a merchant named Liu Zhishan (劉志善) recognized Guizhi as his adopted daughter and promised her in marriage to Zhao Chong (趙寵). Zhao passed the imperial examination and was appointed as the country magistrate of Baocheng.

When Li Qi returned from trading horses, he found his children missing, and Yang pretended that they had died. Li did not believe this and questioned the maid, Chunhua (春花), who, fearing punishment, committed suicide. Yang Sanchun and her lover Tian Wang (田旺) falsely accused Li Qi of raping Chunhua, leading to her death. The magistrate, having accepted bribes, tortured Li to extract a confession and imprisoned him in a death row cell.

Zhao Chong took over the position and went to the countryside to encourage farming. One night, Guizhi heard a sorrowful cry and opened the prison to inquire, discovering that her father had been wronged. When Zhao returned, she wept and recounted the past, asking Zhao to write a petition. Zhao instructed Guizhi to disguise herself and appeal to the newly grand coordinators, who turned out to be her brother Baotong, and he brought Guizhi into the inner hall. Ultimately, Li Qi was exonerated, and the family was reunited.

The special invitation to Mr. Ni Chuanyue (倪傳鉞, 1908-2010) to play the role of Li Qi, who was already 86 years old at that time, and the performing artist Cai Zhengren (蔡正仁) to play the role of Li Baotong, is a unique pairing, which makes the play a perfect addition to the show.

The First Act: The Cry at Prison

The Second Act: The Indictment

The Third Act: Reunion