Hangongqiu

play by Ma Zhiyuan

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June 29, 2026

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Hangongqiu, or Sorrow of the Han Court, is a celebrated play by Ma Zhiyuan, a contemporary of Guan Hanqing during the Yuan dynasty in China. This drama tells the tragic story of Wang Zhojun, a court lady from the Han dynasty. Due to the machinations of a corrupt portrait painter, she was mistakenly chosen to be sent to Central Asia as a consort to a chieftain.1

The Yuan dynasty was a significant period for Chinese drama, with over 1,700 musical plays written and staged between 1234 and 1368. These plays, often featuring characters from lower social classes, were written in language close to daily speech and typically consisted of four acts with alternating dialogue and arias.12

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Chinese literature
Drama
…which the most celebrated is Hangongqiu (“Sorrow of the Han Court”). It deals with the tragedy of a Han dynasty court lady, Wang Zhojun, who, through the intrigue of a vicious portrait painter, was picked by mistake to be sent away to Central Asia as a chieftain’s consort.
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…which the most celebrated is Hangongqiu (“Sorrow of the Han Court”). It deals with the tragedy of a Han dynasty court lady, Wang Zhojun, who, through the intrigue of a vicious portrait painter, was picked by mistake to be sent away to Central Asia as a chieftain’s consort.
Read More