A Drama about Chinese Valentines Festival: Story of Niu Lang and Zhi Nü
Characters:
Zhi nü (ZN)
Niu lang (NL)
God of heaven (GOD)
Queen of heaven (Q)
7 fairy sisters (Fairy)
Soldiers (SOL)
Children (CHI): Daughter & Son
Cattle (C)
Evil brother & evil Sister in law (EV)
Scene 1
Shadow Puppet Performer 1&2:
1: Among the beautiful clouds, over the heavenly river,
2: Crosses the weaving maiden. A night of rendezvous,
1: Across the autumn sky. Surpasses joy on earth.
2: Moments of tender love and dream, Eternal love between us two,
1&2: Shall withstand the time apart.
1: Today is the Chinese Valentine’s Day, Qixi.
2: There’s a beautiful legend, long long ago…
(the cowboy is working the field with the cow at his side. While he’s working the evil brother comes
out)
EV- hey you! Its time you made something out of your life. So pack up your thing and go. And take that
good for nothing cow with you.
(The brother leaves and NL walks towards the cow)
NL: my dear cattle! How could I have such a cruel fate! If only I have a better life!
C: Master!
NL:…how? How can you speak?!
C: Don’t be startled. I am the king Taurus. My master I am here to tell you a message. Tomorrow, 7
beautiful fairy maidens will go down from the heaven. One of them will be your future wife.
NL:is it true?
C: (doesn’t talk. Only nods its head)
NL: come cow; let’s go find this fairy maiden.
(They leave the stage)
Scene 2
(7 fairy maidens came down from heaven. They start dancing until 6 of them see the cowboy and they
ran away. One of them staid)
(ZN is backwards until NL says hello to her. Then she looks at him)
Fairy 1: what a nice day.
Fairy 2: yes and look at this place. It’s so beautiful.
Fairy 3: can you imagine falling in love and living here for the rest of our lives
ZN: oh my sisters, hurry up! We can’t stay for too much time! Mother will know if we are not back in
time!
(the sisters are moving gracefully along the land. They start dancing until they see the cowboy and they
ran away)
(NL sees that they all ran away but one was left behind. He gathers all of he’s courage and starts talking
to her)
NL: ni hao.
ZN: (ZN is backwards until NL says hello to her. Then she looks at him) ni hao.
NL: qing wen nin jiao shenme mingi?
ZN: wo jiao Zhi nü . Ni ne?
NL: Wo jiao Niu Lang. Hen gaoxing renshi ni, Zhi nü.
ZN: very nice to meet you. (translation of the “Hen gaoxing renshi ni” so people know)
NL: what are you doing here?
ZN: this place, it’s very beautiful.
NL not has beautiful has you.
NZ: oh, xie xie.
NL: come, I’ll show you around.
(ZN sees a pair of birds) *song and performance by Niu Lang & Zhi nü.
NL: oh Zhi nü. Wo ai ni. (He gets on he’s knees and gives her flowers) will you marry me?
NZ: yes I do!
Scene 3
(There got married. NL and NZ show they love each other by doing small gestures of love)
The kids jump out and shout: Baba mama , where are you?
Niu Lang and Zhi nü stop what they’re doing: Wo de baobei!
(They begin to sing and the other people of the play join them to sing the bao bei song)
Daughter: Mama, baba!
Son: let’s go home.
Scene 4
Queen: I’m missing one daughter. I have not seen her in so long.
Father: Tell me my children do you know about your sister.
Fairy 1: yes! She married a cowboy on earth.
Queen and father: what.
Fairy 2: yes and she has two children. Boy and girl.
Queen and father: WHAT!
Father: how dare she.
Queen: and without our permission
Father: soldiers. Go and find my daughter.
Queen: bring her back.
(The soldiers leave the room to go and do the task and so does everybody else)
Scene 5
(They celebrate the kid’s birthday. The people start singing the birthday song)
(The people leave the stage. The family is the only ones who are left on stage) (they can be in a hugging
position when the queen enters with the soldiers)
Queen: there. That’s my daughter with that good for nothing mortal. Take her away, back where she
belongs.
Soldiers: (all) yes ma’am.
(NL tries to get to his wife, but he’s also grabbed by one of the soldiers. The same goes for the kids)
Queen: (to the soldier holding ZN) now take her away so I can have time to think of a punishment for
her.
(To NL) how can you marry my daughter? You cannot be husband.
ZN: mother please. I love him, and if you ever loved me you would leave me with him so I can be happy.
Queen: no! I cannot allow this.
NL: but I love her. And you of all people can’t stop that.
Queen: we will see about that, mortal.
(The soldiers holding the kids disappear. Then the one holding ZN takes her away too)
(The ones that are left are NL and the queen)
NL: can’t you see that I make her happy, why take that away from her.
Queen: I’m taking you away from her; she will have to learn how to be happy some other way.
(The last soldier leaves with the queen, NL is left alone)
(The cow appears again)
Cow: NL why so sad.
NL: they have taken the love of my life. What can I do now?
Cow: you have been a good master to me. I’m dying, when I pass take my fur and that will help you go to
the heavens so you can retrieve your wife and have your family complete again.
NL: no cow, you can’t die on me. There has to be another way.
Cow: no. this is the only way. Farewell master and thank you for everything.
NL: no! Cow! (He cries for a few seconds and takes the cows fur)
(He puts on the fur and runs after ZN)
Scene 6
(The cowboy is going after he’s wife. ZN sees him and tries to run to him. The queen sees this and
creates the Milky Way has a way to separate them)
*they both crying on both side of the Milky Way
*The poem Shàng Yé
wŏ yù yŭ jūn xiāng zhĪ,
Cháng mìng wú jué shuāi。
Shān wú líng，
Jiāngshuĭ wéi jié，
Dōngléi zhènzhèn，
Xià yŭ xuě，
Tiān dì hé，
Năi găn yŭ jūn jué!
(The father sees them crying and fells sorry for them. So he allows for them to meet once on the 7 th day
of the 7th month of the lunar year) <-the narrator says this
*last song: The Moon Represents My Love for You
***the ending
P.s.
Happy birhthday song, baobei, the moon represents my heart. I've put them in the "Entertainment"
page of weebly www.unemandarin.weebly.com