Yulan Ji
ming dynasty play
Guanyin Yulan Ji or simply Yulan Ji is a Ming dynasty play with 32 acts. The written version was first published by Wenlinge (文林閣), a Nanjing publisher owned by a Tang (唐) family during the Wanli era (1573–1615). Set in 11th-century Song dynasty, the play tells the story of a carp spirit seducing poor student Zhang Zhen by metamorphosing into a woman, who closely resembles Zhang Zhen's lover Jin Mudan. The goddess of mercy Guanyin, the Dragon King and the legendary judge Bao Zheng work together to subdue and capture the spirit in a fish basket carried by Guanyin.
Modern versions
In the Yue opera tradition, the play is known as Zhuiyu (追魚, literally "Chasing the Fish"). In this version, Jin Mudan is a material girl while the carp spirit is kind. This version ends with Zhang Zhen's marriage to Carp Spirit instead of Jin Mudan.
In 1957, Tian Han and his wife wrote a modern version titled Jinlin Ji (金鱗記, literally "The story of Golden Fish Scales").
Film and TV
The play has been adapted into numerous films and TV series, including:
Film
The Carp Spirit (鯉魚精), a 1958 Hong Kong film starring Yam Kim-fai and Ng Kwan Lai
Chasing the Fish (追魚), a 1959 Chinese film starring Wang Wenjuan and Xu Yulan
A Mermaid's Love (碧波仙侶), a 1960 Hong Kong film starring Xia Meng and Fu Chi
Golden Peony and Her Imposter (真假金牡丹), a 1965 Hong Kong film starring Tsang Shan Fung and Chan Chor Wai
The Mermaid (魚美人), a 1965 Hong Kong film starring Li Ching and Ivy Ling Po
TV series
Double Fantasies (無雙譜), a 1981 Hong Kong TV series starring Louise Lee and Kwan Chung
Justice Pao (包青天), a 1993–94 Taiwanese TV series (Segment 31 "The Mermaid" which stars Chiu Yu-ting and Yang Ching-huang)
The Legend of Mermaid (天地傳說之魚美人), a 2000 Chinese/Taiwanese TV series starring Yuki Hsu and Roger Kwok
The Romance of a Carp Fairy (仙鯉奇緣), a 2002 Taiwanese TV series starring Chang Yu-yen and Jimmy Ni
The Legend of Chasing Fish (追魚傳奇), a 2013 Chinese TV series starring Zhao Liying and Kenny Kwan
Under the Veil (無雙譜), a 2015 Hong Kong TV series (Segment 3 "Chasing the Fish" which stars Eliza Sam and Bosco Wong)
References
Ye, Tan (2008). Historical Dictionary of Chinese Theater.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Yulan Ji” is ming dynasty play. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Yulan, ming and dynasty, not as a finished interpretation.
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The phrase “ming dynasty play” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q11674067. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1573, 1615, 1957 and 1958.
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This entry incorporates text from “Yulan Ji” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.