Peach Blossom Fan

Author: Kong Shangren
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-09-01
Features: The Peach Blossom Fan clearly depicts the love story between Hou Fangyu, a famous scholar of the Ming Dynasty, and Li Xiangjun, a renowned courtesan in Qinhuai. The remnants of the eunuch faction, Ruan Dachen, attempted to win over Hou Fangyu but failed due to Li Xiangjun's opposition. Consequently, he turned to the treacherous official Ma Shiyin. Ma and Ruan, among others, supported the enthronement of the Prince of Fu and seized control of the government, persecuting and suppressing upright officials. Forced to seek refuge with Shi Kefa, Hou Fangyu and Li Xiangjun were also selected to enter the palace. Later, when the Qing army advanced southward and captured Nanjing, Hou and Li reunited at Qixi Mountain in Nanjing. They eventually took vows as Buddhist nuns together. The play uses the love story of Hou and Li as the warp and the tragic history of the Ming Dynasty as the weft, depicting the rise and fall of the Hongguang Dynasty of the Southern Ming and revealing the inevitable fate of its downfall.