The Tragedy of Love in "The Story of YingYing"

“The Story of Yingying” written by Yuan Zhen displays a tragic romance between Zhang and Miss Cui in ancient Chinese society. In this piece, Zhang saves Mrs. Cui’s family from a terrible end from thieves and mutineers. He is introduced to the family as an honored hero and family member and immediately becomes infatuated by Yingying Cui. He captures her attention through a love poem passed along by her maid. Miss Cui initially berates him for his inappropriate behavior and his lust, but she shows up a few days later at his doorstep offering herself. He leaves for a far-off town to prepare for exams, and he eventually receives a letter from Miss Cui that reveals her sadness and depression about him leaving her. However, they both eventually move on and get married. Much later, Zhang visits the town where she is living and requests to see her, but she refuses out of embarrassment. She sends him a poem instead saying:

"Cast off and abandoned, what can I say now, / Whom you loved so briefly long ago? / Any love you had then for me / Will do for the one you have now."

One predominant theme in this story is that lust can create a tragedy of love. While Zhang claims that he is in love with Miss Cui, he is in reality lusting after her. Zhang’s lust for Yingying allows him to easily leave her for his exams and move on quickly. He is frightened of the power that her beauty holds over him because he has never known what love is. When he receives the passionate letter from her, he does not respond and instead tells his friends about their affair. By doing so, he ruins any chance for their love and creates a tragedy.

One article written by Luo Manling states:

"In a pitiful and tender voice, the second poem depicts an abandoned woman suffering for love and yet too traumatized to meet her beloved again. Contrasting the past to the present, the last poem conveys her resentment, her blessing, and her resolution to put her romantic escapade behind her and move on."

By the end of the story, Yingying has given up on any type of feelings that Zhang may have had for her in the past. She recognizes the tragedy in her own life since she becomes emaciated, depressed, and lonely. Zhang’s initial lust for her led to her ruined life and hopes for the future, but their lack of clear communication about the future also contributed to this tragic ending.

In this story, there is no clear answer about which character was more wronged on in the wrong. The hero and villain are left ambiguous in a sense. The characters and stories that you write do not always have to be “black” and “white,” but rather they can be “grey.” A character who always does the right thing is not generally the most interesting character. Although Zhang lusted after Yingying, he is not necessarily the only character in the wrong. This ambiguous situation is what makes “The Story of Yingying” more inviting and interesting to the reader. When you write, allow your heroes make mistakes or your villains to do something good.