183 Beijing Operas - Wen Zhong - Number 5

Wen Zhong

Beijing Opera - "Returning to Court"

Wen Zhong with a red six-tenth face, the leading character in "Returning to Court," an episode in Canonization of the Gods. Wen Zhong was the grand tutor in the Shang imperial court. Zhou the last king of the Shang dynasty was a lewd and wicked ruler. Two treacherous court officials, Fei Zhong and You Hun, abetted him in his crimes. When Wen Zhong returned from a successful military expedition to the North Sea and heard of the corruptness of the imperial court, he had the two wicked officials bound and flogged and chastised the king for killing loyal and innocent people.