The Peach Blossom Fan and the Late Ming Historical Imagination of the Qing People

This book aims to offer a comprehensive view through long-term research， using straightforward and lively language. It introduces various aspects of the Qing era， including the extent of imperial power， the Banner System， the relationship between the Inner Cabinet and the Grand Council， local social management， the imperial examination system， local gentry， judicial examination and justice， imperial finances， military expenditures， womens rights， social status， and the changes in privileges and social status of the Banner people.

You Shujun

You Shujun is an associate professor in the History Department at Zhejiang University， Ph.D supervisor， Zhongying Young Scholar of Zhejiang University， specializing in the political and cultural history of the Ming and Qing dynasties， modern East Asian international history， and the history of modern and contemporary Chinese diplomacy.

Kong Shangren， a poet and playwright of the early Qing Dynasty， with the courtesy names Pinzhi and Ji Zhong， also known as Dongtang， Antang， and Yunting Shanren， hailed from Qufu and was the 64th-generation descendant of Confucius. In his youth， Kong Shangren was already focused on the rise and fall of the Southern Ming Dynasty， gathering anecdotes from relatives and friends， and historical facts from various records， preparing to write a drama reflecting the rise and fall of the Southern Ming， which was the period of conceptualization for The Peach Blossom Fan. Kong Shangrens four years as an official in Huaiyang were not only a period of deepening his understanding of reality but also crucial for gathering thoughts and materials for The Peach Blossom Fan. After ten years of dedicated effort and three revisions， in June 1699 （the 38th year of Kangxi）， Kong Shangren completed his legendary drama The Peach Blossom Fan. It became so popular that it caused a paper shortage in Luoyang; nobles and scholars were enamored with it， eagerly copying it， and its stage performances were immensely successful， with no idle days in a year. The appearance of The Peach Blossom Fan signified a new pinnacle in Chinese opera literature after Tang Xianzu.

Romance of the Western Chamber， The Peony Pavilion， The Palace of Eternal Life， and The Peach Blossom Fan are the four great plays of classical drama among traditional Chinese literati， among which The Peach Blossom Fan is the most controversial. The Peach Blossom Fan， using the love story of Hou Fangyu and Li Xiangjun as its thread， reenacts the rise and fall of the Southern Ming， using the love of a man and woman to underscore the pain of a nations fall and familys ruin. The main theme of the play is to use the emotions of union and separation to express the sentiments of rise and fall， reflecting the corrupt and turbulent society at the end of the Ming Dynasty， as well as the contradictions and struggles within the ruling class. The play places less emphasis on the romantic scenes of the main characters， generating immense interest in contemporary society. The background and narrative of The Peach Blossom Fan mirrors the historical process of the Southern Ming： the fall of the eunuch party， the rise of the Donglin party members， peasant uprisings at the end of the Ming Dynasty， Zuo Liangyus conspiracy against the capital --? Emperor Hongguang of the Southern Ming ascends the throne -- Shi Kefas martyrdom -- collapse of the Hongguang regime， leading to a dispersal of various factions. The story of The Peach Blossom Fan takes place in the city of Jinling at the end of the Ming Dynasty， which is todays Nanjing. At that time， Nanjing served as the political， economic， and cultural center of the south， with a highly developed commodity economy. Unlike Beijing， Nanjing was not directly threatened by border troubles， so its atmosphere of enjoyment was even more intense than Beijings. Furthermore， due to the Ming Dynastys dual-capital system， Beijing and Nanjing both functioned as capitals， each with its distinct administrative team. The administrative team in Nanjing focused mainly on ceremonial functions， lacking significant responsibilities. Consequently， Nanjing became a place where many literati and officials with idle positions， as well as bureaucrats staying at home， lived leisurely.

Character Relationships in The Peach Blossom Fan

The story summary of The Peach Blossom Fan is as follows. In the late Chongzhen period， Hou Fangyu， one of the “Four Young Masters of the Late Ming，” born into an officials family and having failed the imperial examination， resided near Mochou Lake in Nanjing. Through the introduction of Yang Longyou， he met Li Xiangjun， and their affection for each other grew day by day. On the day of their engagement， Hou Fangyu gifted a fan with a poem as a token of their promise， symbolizing their betrothal. Another main character in The Peach Blossom Fan， Ruan Dacheng， born into the Donglin party， was talented and later， for various reasons， defected to the eunuch party， recognizing Wei Zhongxian as his godfather， becoming a leading figure against the Donglin party. After Chongzhen ascended the throne， Ruan Dacheng was dismissed from office and retired to Nanjing， shunned by the Fushe literati. Learning of Hou Fangyus financial struggles， he secretly funded Hous bridal trousseau with a substantial sum， entrusting it to their mutual sworn brother Yang Longyou to deliver， aiming to win over Hou Fangyu and ease tensions with the Fushe. After Hou and Li were married， the astute Xiangjun discovered from Yang Longyou that her bridal trousseau had been secretly funded by Ruan Dacheng with ulterior motives. At this time， Hou Fangyu failed to uphold moral principles and fell into Ruan Dachengs trap， agreeing to plead on his behalf to the Fushe literati. Fortunately， Li Xiangjun saw through this scheme and insisted on returning the trousseau， incurring Ruan Dachengs resentment towards both her and Hou Fangyu， waiting for a chance to retaliate.

In contrast to Hou Fangyus weakness， the heroine， Li Xiangjun， demonstrated unwavering integrity. She rejected Ruan Dachengs request and bluntly stated， “You believe that assisting with my trousseau grants you personal favors at the cost of justice. Little did you know that these hairpins and dresses never caught my eye.” She then decisively removed her hairpin and clothes， proclaiming， “Even in poverty， my integrity persists; though in simple clothes， my reputation endures.” Her words were powerful， emotionally resonant， and morally upright. Her extraordinary courage and political foresight not only made her Hous respected “adversary” but also garnered sincere respect from the Fushe literati， who affectionately referred to her as the “Elder Sister of the Society.” Ruan Dacheng and others pressured Li Xiangjun to marry Tian Yang， a cohort of Ma Shiying. In defiance， she resisted unto death， disfiguring herself and splattering blood on the betrothal fan. Xiangjun used the fan as a letter， entrusting Su Kunsheng to find a way to send it to Hou Fangyu. The peach blossoms on the fan were stained with Xiangjuns own blood， making it a significant symbol of her noble character. It represents two aspects： her unwavering loyalty in love and her clear， firm stance on loyalty and treachery. Although Li Xiangjun came from a courtesan background， she demonstrated more principled virtue in maintaining integrity than the official scholar class in the court. Thus， Xiangjun represents both the self-image of the Ming loyalists and the embodiment of the Han scholar-official ideal.

As a token of love between the male and female leads， The Peach Blossom Fan continually entwines their love story， symbolizing not only Xiangjuns beauty but also her admirable character and the tangible embodiment of their love. However， the decline of the nation inevitably led to the disillusionment of their personal love， lacking the environment to flourish and nurture.

The Peach Blossom Fan is not a true historical drama， as the fates of its characters deviate from actual historical events， particularly in its prudent handling of loyalist sentiments. The Qing army， which drives the plot， never appears on stage， and the few indirect descriptions are positive， such as their actions in driving off bandits upon entering Beijing， pacifying the people， and building a tomb for Emperor Chongzhen. While invoking nostalgia for the former Ming， the play does not shy away from depicting the Ming Dynastys decline. It even deliberately portrays Ming rulers and officials in a negative light， often casting them as antagonists. “Without the skin， the hair cannot attach，” reflects the authors understanding of the logical relationship between individual and collective relationships， the rise and fall of the nation， and romantic love. The destroyed Peach Blossom Fan symbolizes the disillusionment of love following national and familial ruin， a sense of lifes futility， and the tragedy of history. Behind the love story of Hou Fangyu and Li Xiangjun lies the final turbulent era of a dynasty. The struggles， pain， indecision， courage， and prolonged sighs of these characters tragic separation immerse the audience in a deep， unforgettable experience.

After taking part in the provincial examinations in the eighth year of the Shunzhi era， Hou Fangyu， filled with regret for contemplating service to the Qing Dynasty， died in despair. Following the examinations， Li Xiangjun and Su Kunsheng withdrew to the mountains， their whereabouts unknown. Liu Jingting retired to a solitary life as a fisherman， enduring desolation and poverty in his later years. Su Kunsheng， having once been a monk， lived unfulfilled in seclusion with Li Xiangjun.

A Brief History of Society and Culture in the Qing Dynasty

You Shujun

Social Science Academic

Press （China）

October 2023

88.00 （CNY）