Theatre as a Vehicle for Carrying the Way: Mulian Rescues His Mother: A Marvel Drama Newly Composed to Exhort Goodness

Mulian drama or Mulianxi is the oldest extant ritual drama in China with an unbroken stage performance history of more than 900 years. The scriptural source of Mulianxi is the Yulanpen Sūtra, which deals with Mulian (Skr. Maudgalyayana) adventuring into the Preta realm to rescue his mother. However, Mulianxi demonstrates itself as an all-embracing complex of traditional Chinese teachings and beliefs, serving as a powerful conveyor of the (Buddhist, Confucian, and Daoist) Way in premodern China. This paper explores the function of moral education and transformation of Mulianxi, focusing on Zheng Zhizhen’s (1518–1595) Mulian Rescues His Mother: A Marvel Drama Newly Composed to Exhort Goodness. Based on a close analysis of the drama script against the socio-cultural and intellectual backdrop of the time, this essay argues that Mulian Rescues His Mother is not merely a religious ritual drama but an all-embracing complex of traditional Chinese teachings and beliefs that performs multiple functions as a Buddhist drama to aid in the deliverance of souls, a Daoist drama to absolve sins, a Confucian drama to exhort goodness, and above all, a Three-Teaching drama to promote Confucian values and beliefs, filial piety in particular, through Buddhist and Daoist reward and punishment.