272 Beijing Opera Performers - Gongsun Sheng - Number 61

Gongsun Sheng

Beijing Opera - "The Birthday Gifts" also called "Yellow Mud Ridge"

Gongsun Sheng with a purple Taoist face plays a part in the list-opera "Yellow Mud Ridge," adapted from an episode in "Outlaws of the Marsh," a long novel by Shi Mai'an of the late Yuan and early Ming. Centering on the peasant wars of the Song dynasty, the novel has created a host of popular heroes of Chinese fiction such as Li Kui the Black Whirlwind, Wu Song the Tiger Killer, Lin Chong a former captain of the imperial guards, and Lu Zhishen the Flower Monk, each of whom has a distinct character. Many Beijing operas are adapted from episodes in this novel. Yellow Mad Ridge tells how the outlaws waylaid and seized a load of birthday gifts for the emperor's tutor. Gongsun Sheng was one of those outlaws who took part in the robbery