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Author: Shiamin Kwa

Source: Wiley Blackwell Companion to World Literature

Publication Type: Chapter in a book

Abstract: Xu Wei (1521–1593) was a calligrapher, painter, poet, and playwright of the late Ming dynasty (1368–1644) in China. Now largely remembered for his work as an artist, Xu Wei was, during his lifetime and especially for generations afterwards, also admired and emulated for his free and expressive style as a poet and dramatist. This chapter introduces Xu Wei's famous collection Four Cries of a Gibbon, a set of four plays written about individuals who stand out in history for going against the conventions of society to express themselves. From a wronged citizen seeking justice in the Underworld, to a monk seeking revenge after reincarnation, from Mulan putting on her father's clothes to fight in battle, to Chuntao putting on her father's clothes to take the civil service exams, each of these plays shows how identity is the result of careful crafting. Four Cries of a Gibbon challenges readers and viewers to engage a more nuanced notion of what makes a “natural self.”

Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures