183 Beijing Operas - Li Tingzhi - Number 177

Li Tingzhi

Beijing Opera - "Song of Righteousness"

Li Tingzhi with a red ingot face plays a leading role in the opera "Song of Righteousness." Li Tingzhi was a general in the Southern Song Dynasty and a friend of Wen Tianxiang. On his recommendation We Tianxiang was made the emperor's right prime minister, in charge of all military affairs. When Yuan emperor Kublai Khan invaded the Southern Song, We Tianxiang was sent over to the enemy to negotiate a peace. The Yuan commander detained him and urged him to surrender, but he refused. He remained in captivity for three years, during which he steadfastly rejected all demands for him to change his allegiance and in the end died a hero's death. Meanwhile, Li Tingzhi led an army to Yangzhou to defend the city against the Yuan invaders. He too, ultimately gave his life for his country. By this time the Southern Song was already a lost cause.