Traditional Chinese Legend Collected and Edited by Will Boyd, PhD
The ancient legend of the Blue Willow Pattern plate tells of how Kong Si, the beautiful daughter of the wealthy Mandarin court official, Kong Zhuang, fell in love with Zhang, the family’s servant boy, who was training to be a scribe.
When the Mandarin Kong found out about the unfitting match, he banished Zhang and built a great fence around his property to keep his daughter in and Zhang out. The Mandarin arranged a betrothal for Kong Si with the son of a rich and powerful Duke, who arrived by boat with his entourage.
While the Mandarin, Duke and son got drunk together making the marriage vows with rice wine, Zhang broke into the garden and escaped with Kong Si. The Mandarin, Duke, and the now legal husband of the girl, chased after them, but the young couple got away by rowing a boat silently through the dark night and heavy mist that settled upon the lake.
Zhang and Kong Si lived happily for many months on a small island, and Zhang wrote poetry and made scroll paintings, which sold well in the village markets. In fact, he was too successful and news of his location finally reached the shamed Mandarin, who swore to avenge his lost face. The court official sent his guards over to the island one night, where a confrontation with Zhang led to his death. They looked for Kong Si and did not find her, so they set fire to her little hut and left. Kong Si was hiding in the house, and when she saw that her love was dead, she dragged his limp body with her into the raging flames and died with him in her arms.
The Taoist Immortals saw the lovers and their plight and decided to have pity on them, transforming them into two turtle doves. They flew out of the flames and into the sky, free to love, and live and raise a family. Even today, two doves can always be seen in the forest, cuddling, cooing and flying together. Zhang and Kong are seen in this form at the top of the Blue Willow Pattern.
These famous blue and white plates also illustrate other features of the legend, such as the Duke arriving on a boat, three men chasing the couple over a rainbow bridge, and even the beautiful little island where Zhang and Kong lived for a while in peace. These elements all come together to tell the story in just one scene.
(Note: The form of this story is largely derived from the explanation given at the Victoria Gallery & Museum, UK, for their Blue Willow Pattern display, compared to “Butterfly Lovers,” recognized by UNESCO as an intangible heritage Chinese love story by Tang Dynasty authors Liang Zaiyan, Xuan Shizhi, and Zhang Du.)
Facing the East 