183 Beijing Operas - Xiang Yu - Number 68

Xiang Yu

Beijing Opera - "The Prince Bids Farewell to His Favorite"

Xiang Yu with a black-cross and steel-fork face is the leading character in "The Prince bids farewell to His Favorite," adapted from an episode in "Popular Romance of the Western Han." Xiang Yu was a Chinese aristocratic general and cultural hero.

The story of the brilliant and complicated character Xiang Yu (232-202 B.) concerns his meteoric rise from a man with "no inch of territory" to a great conqueror, and his rivalry with and defeat by Liu Bang, founder of the Han dynasty in 206 BC. The details are recorded in the Historical Records of the Han Dynasty historian Sima Qian. The sketch tells of his arrogant, impetuous character that led to his demise.

Xiang Yu was from a noble family in the former State of Chu that had ceased to exist when Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor, unified the country. While a peasant rebellion led by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang was assailing Qin rule, Xiang Yu killed the prefect of Wu (the present-day Suzhou in Jiangsu Province) and organized troops to join the uprising.

He overthrew the Qin dynasty and tried to return China to a pre-Qin ruling system. His forces were overwhelmed by Liu Bang (Gaozu), founder of the Han dynasty, and Xiang Yu chose suicide over capture. His heroism has been glorified in Chinese stories and poetry.