Summary
Chapter 1
Farewell My Concubine opens with a brief exploration of the worlds of prostitution and theater, highlighting how both professions are detached from everyday life. The narrative introduces the stage characters Yu Ji and General Xiang Yu, revealing that both roles are performed by men, with one harboring romantic feelings for the other. After this introduction, the story shifts back to the winter of 1929, taking place in a bustling marketplace in Peking, China.
Yanhong approaches Master Guan, a renowned instructor of Peking opera, to request that he take her young son, Xiao Douzi, as an apprentice. Initially, Guan declines, but changes his mind when Yanhong severs Douzi’s extra finger—a birth defect—with a cleaver. Yanhong and Douzi then sign a ten-year contract with Guan, agreeing that Douzi's life and earnings will be dedicated to Guan in exchange for opera training. Although Douzi struggles to adapt initially, he soon befriends Xiao Shitou, the unofficial leader of the apprentices. The boys endure long days honing their skills, and Douzi and Shitou stand out as the most talented among them. Once given their lifelong roles, Douzi is assigned the part of a dan, or female lead, while Shitou is cast as a sheng, or male lead.
Chapter 2
The apprentices deliver a successful debut performance at the Spring Blossom teahouse, paving the way for numerous subsequent performances. They perform for Master Ni, a wealthy eunuch, on his birthday, who inappropriately touches Douzi after the show. During the New Year’s celebrations, Shitou spends his money on sweets, whereas Douzi invests in handkerchiefs, beginning his collection of opera costumes. They both admire a splendid sword, and Douzi promises to purchase it for Shitou one day. The apprentices and Master Guan participate in a group photo session. A decade later, in 1939, the boys, now as close as brothers, graduate from Guan’s school and embark on their professional careers.
Chapter 3
Douzi and Shitou join an opera company, where they receive new adult names from the manager. Douzi is renamed Cheng Dieyi, and Shitou becomes Duan Xiaolou. Dieyi and Xiaolou achieve fame for their rendition of the opera Farewell My Concubine. During one performance, Master Yuan Siye, a wealthy theater patron, becomes captivated by Cheng Dieyi.
Chapter 4
After the performance, Dieyi and Xiaolou argue about the significance of opera, but their dispute is cut short by a backstage visit from Siye. Dieyi shows respect, while Xiaolou is dismissive and leaves to visit Miss Juxian, a prostitute at the House of Flowers, a local brothel. Xiaolou intervenes when a customer attempts to force Juxian to drink from his mouth. Impulsively, Juxian proposes marriage to Xiaolou, and he agrees. They quickly conduct the engagement wine ceremony. The following day, Dieyi visits a letter writer to dictate a letter to his mother but ends up tearing it apart and discarding it. Meanwhile, Juxian secures her freedom from prostitution.
Chapter 5
Juxian visits backstage with Xiaolou and Dieyi, announcing she has bought her freedom from the House of Flowers to marry Xiaolou. Xiaolou is taken aback, as he wasn't serious about the marriage, but decides to proceed with the wedding. Dieyi is devastated at losing Xiaolou to Juxian and accepts Yuan Siye’s invitation to his home. There, Siye gets Dieyi drunk and sexually assaults him. Dieyi leaves early the next morning, taking with him the sword he and Shitou had admired in the marketplace a decade ago—a gift from Siye for Dieyi’s sexual submission. Dieyi presents the sword to Xiaolou as a wedding gift. Meanwhile, Japanese cavalry enters Peking.
Dieyi rises to fame as a...
(This entire section contains 1407 words.)
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renowneddan without Xiaolou, who has stopped being his counterpart since marrying. Dieyi copes with his jealousy of Juxian by turning to opium. At the behest of the Japanese military police, Dieyi and Xiaolou perform the opera Farewell My Concubine again, but Xiaolou refuses to continue after Japanese soldiers assault Chinese audience members. Xiaolou is arrested, and Juxian begs Dieyi to help. Dieyi agrees on the condition that Juxian leaves Xiaolou. Dieyi performs for the Japanese official, securing Xiaolou's release, but Juxian reneges on her promise and remains with Xiaolou.
Chapter 6
In the summer of 1945, Dieyi is consumed by opium addiction, while Xiaolou has abandoned opera to sell watermelons. Master Guan chastises them for their conflicts and neglect of opera, assigning them the task of preparing a show for him in a month. However, Guan passes away before the month is over, prompting the two actors to organize a benefit concert to raise funds for Guan's proper burial. The Japanese surrender, leading to economic chaos in China as various factions vie for dominance. Xiaolou gets into a fight to defend Dieyi, and Juxian steps in to protect Xiaolou but is struck in the stomach, resulting in a miscarriage. Dieyi is arrested for treason but secures his release by performing for a Chinese official. Dieyi and Xiaolou take their operas on tour, searching for audiences, as China gradually falls under the control of the communist People’s Liberation Army.
Chapter 7
In 1949, opera is once again a popular form of entertainment. However, as the People's Republic of China progresses, theaters are increasingly used for revolutionary purposes. Xiaolou and Dieyi witness the trial of Dieyi’s former lover, Yuan Siye, who faces accusations of being a counterrevolutionary and receives a death sentence. Xiao Si, Dieyi’s former assistant whom Dieyi treated poorly, rises in the ranks of the new Communist Party. Following the party's orders, Dieyi and Xiaolou attend literacy classes. By the mid-1960s, art is seen as a means of corrupting people by manipulating their emotions. Consequently, Dieyi and Xiaolou’s social standing declines significantly. In 1965, the party assigns them to perform in formulaic propaganda plays. To prevent their old costumes from being used against them, Xiaolou and Dieyi destroy them.
Chapter 8
Teenagers are recruited as communist Red Guards and released from school to raid homes for evidence of Western or traditional Chinese culture. One night, the Red Guards raid Xiaolou’s and Juxian’s home and notice a sword from Dieyi, which Juxian had positioned on the wall so it points toward Chairman Mao’s portrait—a possible indication of ill intent toward Mao. To protect Juxian and Dieyi, Xiaolou claims ownership of the sword.
The following night, Xiaolou and Dieyi face trial and are urged to confess each other's past misdeeds. Initially, they disclose trivial facts about each other, but under threat from the guards, they begin to reveal damaging details about one another. Fearing for Juxian’s safety, Xiaolou declares he wants a divorce, leaving her devastated. Xiao Si intervenes and exposes Dieyi’s homosexual activities, leading to Dieyi’s arrest. While in custody, Dieyi attempts suicide but fails. Xiaolou is sentenced to reeducation through labor. Upon returning to his apartment to collect his belongings, he discovers Juxian has hanged herself. The next day, Xiaolou and Dieyi are transported in separate trucks to different labor camps in remote regions.
Chapter 9
Xiaolou endures years of hard labor in a camp in Fuzhou, frequently thinking of Dieyi, whom he has forgiven for his past remarks. A decade later, in 1976, Chairman Mao passes away. The Gang of Four, Mao’s political faction, is soon overthrown and tried for its crimes against the Chinese populace. By the 1980s, Xiaolou manages to escape the labor camp and flees to the island of Hong Kong. One day, while on a tram, he spots an opera house with Cheng Dieyi’s name prominently displayed on the marquee.
Chapter 10
Xiaolou reunites with Dieyi, who now holds the position of senior art advisor for the opera troupe. They spend a day catching up on each other's lives. Dieyi brings out a photograph from their days as apprentices at Master Guan’s opera school. They reminisce about the boys in the picture, many of whom have perished due to the political upheavals in China. Later, they visit a bathhouse, where they unwind and share details about their current situations, including Dieyi's marriage. They express regret for the hurtful words and actions they exchanged in the past. Together, Xiaolou and Dieyi dress in their old makeup and costumes to perform the opera Farewell My Concubine once more. During the performance, Dieyi momentarily fantasizes about truly ending his life, as the heroine does, but it remains just a fleeting thought. Eventually, Dieyi returns to mainland China, while Xiaolou remains in Hong Kong, where he ends up losing his apartment.
