This segment, Patrolling the Camp, is selected from the play, Love and Loyalty (Silang Visits His Mother).

The story is based on the warfare between the Song Dynasty of China and the Liao kindom to its north in the late tenth century. General Yang Ji-ye and his eight sons fought for the safety of the Song emperor. However, most of the Yang family generals were killed in the war, and the fourth son (Silang) was captured by the Liao. Silang hid his Yang identity and later married the princess of Liao.

Fifteen years passed and Silang and the princess were happily married and had a son.

One day Silang learned that his mother and sixth brother led the Song army and were camped nearby preparing for an attack on the Liao. His love for his mother drew him to visit her with the help of the princesss. But at the same time, he was worried about acknoledging his real identity to his wife and telling her he would visit his mother but he had to.

Beijing Opera scripts are hard for overseas friends to understand, so just feel the music, the settling and the costume. :)