This is Scene One of Act Two of the Chinese classic popular drama Romance of the Western Chamber (西厢记 Xixiang Ji), written by the Yuan playwright Wang Shifu (1250–1336).

Sun Feihu 孙飞虎, a local bandit, was attracted to Miss Cui Yingying (崔莺莺)’s beauty and wanted to get her from the monastery where her temporary residence was with her family. Zhang Gong 张珙 (styled Junrui 君瑞, nickname Scholar Zhang), who fell in love with Yingying, was also stuck in the temple. As the monastery was under siege, Yingying’s mother promised that whoever defeated the Sun’s army could marry her daughter.

Scholar Zhang came up with an idea of asking help from his childhood friend Du Que 杜确, who was known as ‘General White Horse (白马将军)’. He was leading a troop of a hundred thousand warriors and stationed at Puguan Pass 蒲关, about forty to fifty miles away. Scholar Zhang was confident that if his letter for help was sent to General White Horse, the general would be able to come to the rescue and defeat the bandit. However, Zhang Gong himself, as a weak scholar, was unable to break through the heavy siege of the army to deliver the letter. Who would be the most suitable person then? The head abbot, Fa Ben 法本, thought of a monk named Huiming 惠明 who was known for indulging in food and alcohol, and neglecting Buddhist practices. Sure enough, with the right words, Huiming was excited and keen to take up the task. On his way out, he promised good news upon his return.

With many thanks to Rachel Ma and her website https://tutuhaoyi.com/

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Diameter: 21.4CM⁠
Period: Kangxi⁠
Country of origin: China⁠
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