- Vancouver Cantonese Opera Premiere – The Trial of Chan Sai Mei
The fictional character, Chan Sai Mei from an opera set in the Song Dynasty, has been synonymous in China with a heartless and unfaithful husband.
Chan Sai Mei was a poor scholar who was placed first in the Imperial examination. When a princess’s hand was offered in marriage, he gladly accepted the proposal although he was already married to Chun Heung Lin in his hometown. Chun Heung Lin was left alone to look after his aged parents and their two young children while he was gone.
After Chan’s parents died in a famine, Chun set out to the capital with their children to find Chan. Although she found him, Chan had no intention of acknowledging their relationship and ruthlessly planned to have his wife and children killed to keep his secret. However, the assassin, Hon Kei, felt pity for them and in order to let them go, he ended up killing himself. Chun realized how cruel her husband was and decided to avenge Hon’s dealth. She sought help from the famous incorruptible Judge Bao for justice. Judge Bao tricked Chan into coming to the court to be tried because he could not summon him directly. Being the emperor’s brother-in-law, Chan thought that he was above the law and would never be convicted. In the meantime, to save her imprisoned husband, the princess forced Chun to drop the case by abducting the two children to use as pawns. Although he was under enormous imperial pressure to free Chan, Judge Bao fearlessly upheld justice by having Chan convicted and executed.
Written by rkfcheng
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