Debra Li

XU YING, the playwright who penned the drama “Assassin,” said he was inspired to write it after being moved by the devotion and sacrifice of ancient Chinese warrior Yu Rang, who died after a failed assassination attempt to avenge his master.

“I’ve wanted to write the story of Yu Rang more than 10 years ago, planning to do it in the form of traditional Chinese opera,” Xu said.

“It would be great if master Pei Yanling could play the role of Yu Rang, portraying him as a hualian (fiery-tempered male in traditional Chinese operas). As I’ve had pleasant cooperation with director Lin Zhaohua previously, I wrote it into a play as he committed,” he said.

It took Xu only five days to write the drama, which he says deals with the ancient Chinese principles of loyalty, trust, and doing what’s right.

“Like other assassins in the ‘Historical Records’ by Sima Qian, Yu was a man going to extremes. His motive could be called simple and pure. He wanted to assassinate the king of Zhao, a much better ruler than his lord Zhibo, only because the latter treated him with dignity,” Xu said

“Yu was willing to sacrifice his own life to avenge a tyrant, but I would not call him stupid,” he said

Xu said he was moved by Yu, especially when comparing the assassin’s ideals to the selfishness that prevails in the modern world.

Yu, a former subordinate of a nobleman surnamed Fan, sought refuge with Zhibo after Fan was defeated and killed.

He did not avenge Fan because Fan treated him like a common person. Zhibo, instead, treated him with respect. The Chinese idiom, “a man dies for those who deeply appreciate him,” was first coined to describe Yu.

On the other hand, the king of Zhao was a mature leader, who freed Yu after his first failed assassination attempt.

“As a politician, Zhao certainly hoped his followers could act like Yu. He let Yu go the first time not only because he also appreciated Yu’s loyalty, but also as a gesture to show his benevolence,” Xu said.

“When Yu challenged his life and authority a second time, Zhao certainly wouldn’t let him,” he said.

“The theme of the story, I think, lies in the importance of equality and respect that everyone values deep inside. Like the Ruan brothers in ‘Outlaws of the Marsh,’ their motto was ‘to shed blood for those worthy.’”

“We cannot judge Yu with our own standards. Otherwise, it will be the narrow-mindedness of mo-dern people. His going to the extreme helps us understand the shine of dignity in humans,” he added

Lin Zhaohua, the director of the play, did not change a word of the script, as he felt the conciseness and simplicity of Xu’s language appropriately reflected the style of the Warring States Period.