Hongniang

Hongniang
Actress Chen Xinyu (陈欣雨) portraying Hongniang in a 2016 Yue opera performance in Tianchan Theatre, Shanghai.
Traditional Chinese	紅娘
Simplified Chinese	红娘
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hóngniáng Wade–Giles Hung^2 Niang^2

Hongniang, or Scarlet, is a fictional character from Yingying's Biography, a Chinese story by Yuan Zhen (779–831), and Romance of the Western Chamber, a Chinese play by Wang Shifu (1250–1337?). She is the maidservant of Cui Yingying.[1]: 156  The character of Hongniang became increasingly important from Yuan Zhen's story to Wang Shifu's play and later versions, eventually becoming the protagonist in the one-act play Hongniang.[2]: 79 

In Wang Shifu's play, Hongniang plays a key role as a witty, cunning, and righteous character who facilitates the love affair between Cui Yingying and Scholar Zhang (Zhang Gong).[2]: 48  Hongniang has entered modern Chinese vocabulary as a synonym for a (female) matchmaker.[2]: 48 

References

1. Owen, Stephen (1996). The End of the Chinese 'Middle Ages': Essays in Mid-Tang Literary Culture. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-2667-2.
2. Wen-Chin, Hsu (2011). "ILLUSTRATIONS OF "ROMANCE OF THE WESTERN CHAMBER" ON CHINESE PORCELAINS: Iconography, Style, and Development". Ars Orientalis. 40: 39–107. ISSN 0571-1371. JSTOR 23075932.