AustLit

This play tells the story of a young Chinese couple, Chang and his wife. It is the day of the Moon Festival and Chang shows his wife the Puppet Theatre that he has made to take to the village that night for the festivities. Chang then goes to help his neighbour winnow rice and his wife dresses for the Moon Festival in her wedding dress and a family headdress that is quite valuable. A slave-trader comes to the house and abducts her. She calls to her husband but he only sees them disappearing on a horse. The slave-trader takes the wife to a nearby city and locks her in his house. Chang tracks them down and tricks the slave-trader by hiding in the puppet theatre outside the house and is thus able to rescue his wife. The couple hurry home to attend the Moon Festival in their village.