shuyima

[shuyima]

Butterfly Lovers（梁山伯与祝英台）

Logline:

In ancient China, during a period of turmoil, a student couple deeply in love faced staunch disapproval and eventual separation imposed by their parents. Tragically, the young man fell gravely ill and succumbed to his illness. On the day she was to be married to another, the heartbroken woman leapt into his grave in grief. Miraculously, from this act of profound love and sorrow, they transformed into butterflies, reuniting at last in a form beyond the reach of societal constraints. Opinion & Analysis:

Ancient Chinese marriage has always been decided by the parents, pay attention to the marriage, do not allow men and women free love, the last story Zhu Yingtai in the wedding day jumped into Liang Shanbo's grave, both of them become butterflies. This story reflects the young men and women's resistance to the secular and power, the pursuit and yearning for freedom and love, and also criticizes the complex social relations and strict social classes in ancient China.

In addition, women were not allowed to go to school in ancient China, so Zhu Yingtai dressed as a man and left home to study at the beginning of the story, reflecting the autonomy and bravery of women. However, after a long period of accepting the rigid and outdated feudal etiquette, Zhu Yingtai's personality changed from lively to dull, satirizing the bondage of feudal etiquette to human nature, and this conflict change is also common in other Chinese folk stories.