A text of Lizhi ji (The Tale of Lichee) printed in the year of Xinmao during the Emperor Daoguang reign (r. 1821-1850) of the Qing dynasty was found in Quanzhou in recent years. Its content forms a lineage with Lijing ji (The Tale of Lichee and the Mirror) printed during the reign of Emperor Jiajing of the Ming dynasty, collected from Japan, and Lizhi ji (The Tale of Lichee) printed during the reign of Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing dynasty, collected from the United Kingdom, as well as Lichih ji (The Tale of Lichih) printed during the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing dynasty, copied from France. They all present the very same famous opera Chen San and Wu Niang. These four plays of the Ming and Qing editions became a series with its strain passing on for five hundred years, during which changes were made but it never stopped. Further, derived from this line of transmission were more than one hundred string and wind instrument repertoires performed in folk music with strong vitality. This form of succession with both dynamic and static parallel was unique and valuable, containing multifaceted meanings in the history of Chinese drama. The Local Drama Research Society in Quanzhou decided to publish this series combing copies of the four editions, proofreading, and notes (a set for 4 volumes), and is now ready to press. It is for this occasion the chief editor of this series now writes this article to outline the unusual origins as well as the historical significance and cultural values of these four editions.