Download the Audio of  Farewell My Concubine

As the opera opens, Liu Bang's army has just surrounded Xiang Yu's camp. Xiang Yu understands that his defeat is due to the will of Heaven, not to any of his shortcomings on the battlefield.

Realizing the end is near, Xiang Yu rises up in the night to drink with his Lady Yu, and with passionate sorrow, sings to her of his fear for her fate after his death. Tears stream down his face, while those about him weep, unable to lift their eyes from the ground.

To distract the king from his bitter sorrow, Lady Yu performs a sword dance, and, as the opera ends, she cuts her own throat so that she may not burden him any further.

[source:ebeijing.gov.cn]