This is a famous play, and when acted in full takes 40 or 50 days. All the details are acted, even to the throwing of the dart which struck the woman; and a coffin is always ready to receive the corpse if the throwing should be unskilful and cause death. If the actor survives, the coffin is sold and he receives the money.
It is a common belief that Mu-lien became Ti-tsang wang 地藏王, god of the lower world.
The actors in a dramatic company are as follows. Shêng 生, who acts the youthful scholars' parts. Lao 老 shêng acts the old and bearded scholar, and hsü 鬚 shêng the black-bearded scholar. Wên and wu hsiao 文 and 武小 shêng are respectively the civil and military student. Tsun 俊 takes the wise man's part.
The term tan 旦 is used for these who take women's parts; lao 老 tan, the old woman; hsiao 小 tan, the respectable woman; chêng 正 tan, the unmarried girl; and hua 花 tan the indecent woman, the singer of lewd songs, etc.
Mu 目 is the clown, also called ta hua lien 大花臉 first clown, with the whole face painted, and êrh 二 hua lien or second clown, with half the face painted. San 三 hua lien or ch'ou 丑 the third clown plays off against the hua tan, and has generally only one patch of colour, about the nose.
As to times, the early morning performance is tsao san chih 早三折; the chief performance of the day, between ten and two o'clock, is kêng pên 耿本 or chên mu 正目; that in the afternoon is hsia pên 下本, and an additional evening performance is hua hsi 花戲, while night theatricals from 7 to 9 o'clock are yeh 夜 hsi.
