The four famous dramas in ancient times are

China's four famous plays are Dou Eyuan by Guan Hanqing, The West Chamber by Wang Shifu, The Peony Pavilion by Tang Xianzu and The Palace of Eternal Life by Hong Sheng.

Yuan

Guan Hanqing's Dou Eyuan was originally named Dou Eyuan.

Its story originated from "Donghai Filial Piety to His Wife" in Biography of Lienv. Guan Hanqing, however, is not confined to this traditional story, praising the public's virtue of filial piety for his wife in the East China Sea to rehabilitate unjust imprisonment; But firmly grasped the social reality at that time. Through this story, we truly and profoundly reflect the extremely dark, cruel and chaotic tragic times of China society under the rule of Yuan and Meng, and show the indomitable fighting spirit of the people of China and their strong demand for independent survival. It successfully shaped the tragic hero image of Dou E, making it a representative of oppressed, exploited and injured women in Yuan Dynasty, and a typical kind, strong and rebellious woman at the bottom of Yuan Dynasty society.

Romance of the West Chamber

Wang Shifu's "The West Chamber" was originally named "The Story of the Moon in the West Chamber", which tells the story of Cui's death in the previous dynasty. His wife, Zheng He, and her little daughter sent her husband's coffin back to Anping, Hebei Province for burial, but she was blocked halfway and stayed at Pujiu Temple in the middle of the river. Zhang Sheng, a scholar, happened to meet a young lady and a matchmaker playing outside the temple. Zhang Sheng lives in the West Wing of the White House and is congenial to Cui Yingying. Sun Feihu, the rebel, surrounded the Pujiu Temple and asked Yingying to be his "Mrs. Zhazhai". Cui Furen declared: "Whoever can kill the thief army will marry her to him." Write to the opposite sex brother, Du Kui, the champion of Wu State, and let him defeat. Cui Furen made Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying sworn brothers and sisters, which made Zhang Sheng and Yingying very miserable. The maid matchmaker saw this and arranged for them to meet. Zhang was lovesick, and Yingying went to Zhang's room to meet him in the name of visiting the sick. Discovered by Mrs Cui, the matchmaker interceded, and the old lady was helpless. She told her that if she wanted to marry Yingying, she had to go to Beijing to catch the exam and get ahead. Zhang Sheng won the first prize in the exam. After all the twists and turns, everything will be fine in Cui Yingying.

Peony Pavilion

Its author, Tang Xianzu, was born in the Ming Dynasty, and his name is Ruoshi. He is from Hai Ruo and a Taoist priest in Linchuan, Qingyuan, Jiangxi. Born in a scholarly family, he was a scholar at the age of 33. He became an official in Wanli period of Ming Dynasty, and abandoned his post and went home at the age of 49. Influenced by Wang Xue's left wing since childhood, he made friends with Li Zhi and others who were regarded as heresies by the rulers at that time. His thoughts of opposing Confucianism, affirming people's desires and pursuing personal freedom had a great influence on him. In terms of literary thought, Tang Xianzu echoed the repeated ancient prose thoughts of the public security school, and clearly put forward the idea that literary creation should first be "intentional" and put ideology first. There are five kinds of his drama creations, namely, Four Dreams of Tang Yuming (or Four Dreams of Linchuan) and The Story of Zidi. Four Dreams of Tang Yuming are Purple Hairpin, Peony Pavilion, Handan and Conan. Among these four works, The Peony Pavilion is the most proud and influential one of Tang Xianzu.

Palace of eternal life

The Palace of Immortality written by Hong Sheng tells the story of Yang Yuhuan, the favorite imperial concubine of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.

Its author is Hong Sheng, a playwright and poet in Qing Dynasty. Word,No. Renqi,No. Rencun,No. Nanping Bridge. Han nationality, Qiantang (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang) people. Born into an official family, he graduated from imperial academy in the seventh year of Kangxi (1668), and spent 20 years in the imperial examination, wearing white clothes all his life. In his later years, he returned to Qiantang and lived in poverty. In the 43rd year of Kangxi, Cao Yin rehearsed the whole Palace of Eternal Life in Nanjing, and Hongsheng was invited to watch it. Afterwards, on his way back to Hangzhou, he fell into the water and died after being drunk in Wuzhen. Hong Sheng and Kong Renshang are also called "South Hong Bei Kong".