Twitter Highlights: The Female Fuma
The Female Fuma and Her Imperial Princess | She and Her in the Light of the Wedding Candles
— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 28, 2021
Art by Zhu Mo Fan Yi 竹墨繁漪
🔗 video: https://t.co/06b4B7dni5
🔗 artist weibo: https://t.co/gKsKbmayLE pic.twitter.com/oGONF4WtxO
'Fuma, on your way here, was the landscape beautiful?'
— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 28, 2021
'Brocaded hills and embroidered rivers, all the beauty of nature.'
'Then, Fuma ... on your wedding night, is your princess beautiful?'
'Ah? This... this...' pic.twitter.com/NClvXqdI72
Confusion in the heavenly matchmaker's book
— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 28, 2021
Led us by mistake to a union like a flower's mirror reflection
Like the moon's water reflection
Led us by mistake to our wedding night
Led us by mistake into the light of the bridal candles pic.twitter.com/KUfBz7r3FC
The candles were still burning past midnight
— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 28, 2021
After we had drunk the wine of soulmates
From each other's nuptial cups pic.twitter.com/Z6r6u50UrW
(it is entirely possible that I have chosen the gayest possible way of rendering the translation)
— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 28, 2021
'The Female Fuma' is a Huangmei opera. It tells the tale of Feng Suzhen, who leaves home dressed as a man to rescue her fiancé, who was wronged by his enemies. She takes the Imperial examinations, gets first place, and is betrothed to the princess
— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 28, 2021
On their wedding night, she tells the princess everything. The princess is moved, and intervenes to help Feng Suzhen reunite with her fiancé
— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 28, 2021
The video linked above is financed/produced by the company behind the MMORPG Justice Online. Quite WHY they would produce a remix of a Huangmei opera is beyond me, but I'm very grateful
— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 28, 2021
I've watched the video about twenty times and I want to cry each time thinking about the princess who finds herself married to this brilliant woman for one night and deciding she'll do whatever she can for her, even if it means never seeing her again
— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 28, 2021
(searches feverishly for Huangmei opera fix-it fic)
— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 28, 2021
Anyway, between this and 'The Fragrant Companion', I'm sure there's at least one monograph on 'sapphic elements in Chinese opera' out there and if there isn't, there should be
I got absurdly emotional over this for no apparent reason. Also! I did find that fix-it fic: 《新·新女驸马》by 杨惑, which I very much hope is as good as advertised. A point on translation: in any other setting and to any other audience, I would have used 'Prince Consort' instead of 'Fuma', but for obvious reasons 'Fuma' has become very much an established part of baihe Twitter's vocabulary.