Tale of the Transcendent Marriage of Dongting Lake explained

"The Tale of the Supernatural Marriage at Dongting", better known as "The Story of Liu Yi", is a Chinese chuanqi (fantasy) short story from the Tang dynasty, written by Li Chaowei (Chinese: 李朝威) in the second half of the 8th century. It is about a young man named Liu Yi who, out of sympathy, agrees to deliver a letter from a distressed dragon to her father, the Dragon King of Lake Dongting; following her rescue and the death of her abusive husband, the Dragon Girl transforms into a beautiful woman and marries Liu Yi.

Translations

English translations include:^[1]

• "Story of the Daughter of the Dragon-king of Tung-t'ing Lake" (tr. E.D. Edwards) in Chinese Prose Literature of the T'ang Period (A.D. 618–906), Volume 2 (Arthur Probsthain, 1938)
• "The Dragon's Daughter" (tr. Wang Chi-chen) in Traditional Chinese Tales (Columbia University Press, 1944)
• "The Dragon King's Daughter" (tr. Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang) in The Dragon King's Daughter: Ten Tang Dynasty Stories (Foreign Languages Press, 1954)
• "The Legendary Marriage at Tung-t'ing" (tr. Russel E. McLeod) in Traditional Chinese Stories: Themes and Variations (Cheng & Tsui Company, 1986)
• "Liu Yi; or, Tale of the Transcendent Marriage of Tung-t'ing Lake" (tr. Glen Dudbridge) in The Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature (Columbia University Press, 1994)
• "The Dragon King's Daughter" (tr. John Minford) in Classical Chinese Literature: An Anthology of Translations, Volume 1: From Antiquity to the Tang Dynasty (Columbia University Press, 2000)
• "The Tale of the Supernatural Marriage at Dongting" (tr. Meghan Cai) in Tang Dynasty Tales: A Guided Reader, Volume 2 (World Scientific, 2016)

Adaptations

In the 13th century, Shang Zhongxian (Chinese: 尚仲賢) adapted the story into a zaju titled Liu Yi Delivers a Letter to Dongting Lake (Chinese: 洞庭湖柳毅傳書, English version: Liu Yi and the Dragon Princess translated by David Hawkes, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press, 2003^[2]). In the 17th century, Li Yu created a chuanqi play titled Tower in the Mirage by combining Shang's play with that of another play featuring a Dragon Girl, Scholar Zhang Boils the Sea at Shamen Island (Chinese: 沙門島張生煮海).^[3]

The Qing dynasty novel Steep Cloud Tower (Chinese: 躋雲樓) is also based on Liu Yi's story.

Notes and References

1. Book: Tang Dynasty Tales: A Guided Reader, Volume 2. World Scientific. 2016. Nienhauser, Jr.. William H.. William H. Nienhauser, Jr.. 978-981-4719-52-0. 43–44. The Tale of the Supernatural Marriage at Dongting.
2. Book: Liu Yi and the Dragon Princess: A Thirteenth-Century Zaju Play by Shang Zhongxian. Columbia University Press. October 2003 . The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press . 978-962-996-064-3 . 27 November 2023.
3. Homeward Odyssey: Theatrical Reframing of "The Rakshas and the Sea Market". 27 November 2023. 286–87. Chen. Liana. Journal of Chinese Ritual, Theatre and Folklore. June 2003. 140.