Peach Blossom Fan

Author: [Qing] Kong Shangren / Jia Bingwen / Ren Ailing (Commentary)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: The play The Peach Blossom Fan is entirely about recent events from the Southern Dynasties, and the elders still remember them. The songs and dances on stage, the comments from the sidelines—what destroyed the three-century-old foundation? Who was responsible? What happened? When did it happen? Where did it end? Not only does it make the audience weep with sorrow, but it also serves as a warning to the heart and mind, offering a salvation for the late days. — Preface to The Peach Blossom Fan
How extraordinary is The Peach Blossom Fan? Its extraordinariness lies not in its strangeness but in the peach blossoms on the fan. The peach blossoms are the traces of the beauty’s blood. The bloodstains are of a woman who remained loyal and waited for her husband, refusing to be humiliated by treacherous officials even to the point of death. The treacherous officials are the remnants of Wei Yan. The remnants are those who indulged in pleasure, accumulated wealth, formed factions to avenge themselves, and destroyed the three-century-old imperial foundation. Without the imperial foundation, where would the treacherous officials be? Only the bloodstains on the fan and the peach blossoms remain, murmuring in our mouths and vividly before our eyes—this is the extraordinariness of things that are not extraordinary but yet are extraordinary, and it can be passed down without needing to be recorded. Are they human faces or peach blossoms? Though they may last a thousand springs, their vibrant reds contrast. Who knows where the Taoist priest who planted the peach trees has gone now? — Brief Notes on The Peach Blossom Fan
The Peach Blossom Fan is a masterpiece of Qing Dynasty opera. Before Kong Shangren entered official service, he heard from his cousin Kong Fangxun the story of Li Xiangjun’s blood-stained fan and Yang Longyou’s transformation of it into peach blossoms. He then wanted to write a play reflecting the fall of the Southern Ming Dynasty. However, because “the knowledge was too extensive and deviated from historical records,” he dared not act rashly. In the twenty-fifth year of the Kangxi reign (1681), he was ordered to accompany Sun Zaifeng, a transmission official from the Ministry of Works, to oversee the dredging of the Yellow Sea estuary. He lived in Huaiyang for three years, meeting many Ming loyalists, paying tribute to many historical remnants of the Southern Ming, and collecting a wealth of historical materials, which provided rich material for his creation. In the sixth month of the thirty-eighth year of the Kangxi reign (1699), after more than ten years of and preparation, he finally completed The Peach Blossom Fan with three revisions.
It is a historical play that “uses the emotions of the stage to write the feelings of rise and fall.” It follows the love story between Hou Chaozong, a scholar of the Fusha faction, and Li Xiangjun, a famous courtesan of Qinhuai, reflecting the brief history of the Hongguang Dynasty of the Southern Ming—from its establishment to its fall—and depicting the vast social life during the transition from the Ming to the Qing. The author’s use of language is passionate, and his love-hate is strong. He mercilessly exposes and scorns the political corruption, treacherous rule, and arrogant behavior of the ruling class; he deeply sympathizes with and praises Shi Ke, who was determined to serve his country but was powerless to turn the tide. The work focuses on shaping the images of lower-class characters like Li Xiangjun, Liu Jingshi, and Su Kunsheng, wholeheartedly praising their noble qualities and national spirit.
With its distinct historical characteristics, progressive ideological, and gripping artistic power, The Peach Blossom Fan evokes strong emotional resonance. When the play was first completed, “officials and scholars all borrowed copies, and there was even a shortage of paper.” Performances in Beijing were held every day, so that the loyalists and elders “wept and scattered.” It is a masterpiece of classical opera, following The Long Life Chamber as another great work. This edition is based on the Kangxi Wuzi edition, with reference to the Lansuotang edition, Nuohongshi edition, and Liang Qichao’s annotated edition, choosing the best and following it. Since this is a reading edition for the general public, no collation notes have been included.