272 Beijing Opera Masks, Tian Qingwang Number 114

Tian Qingwang (King Tianqing)

Opera "Golden Sand Beach"

Tian Qingwang means Tian Qing Leader. Tian Qingwang with a watery white full face is a character of the opera "Golden Sand Beach." It is from the book "The Historical Novel of Family Yang's Mansion." Tian Qingwang was the ruler of the Liao Dynasty. In the opera he invites Emperor Taizong of Song to a banquet at the Golden Sand Beach, where he has set a trap to kill him. Song general Yang Jiye, aware of the plot. orders his youngest son, Yang Yanping, to go to the banquet disguised as the emperor and sends his other sons along as bodyguards. During the banquet Tianqing performs a sword dance, intending to stab Yang Yanping during the performance. But the latter see through the trick and kills Tianqing with a weapon concealed in his sleeve,