Kong Shangren (1648-1718) was a Qing dynasty dramatist and poet. He was a 64th-generation descendant of Confucius and had a distinguished career as a scholar-official. His fame rested largely on his authorship of The Peach Blossom Fan. Wai-yee Li is the 1879 Professor of Chinese Literature at Harvard University. Her previous books include The Promise and Peril of Things, Plum Shadows and Plank Bridge, Women and National Trauma in Late Imperial Chinese Literature, and, as co-editor with Wiebke Denecke and Xiaofei Tian, The Oxford Handbook of Classical Chinese Literature (1000 BCE-900 CE).

• Abbreviations Introduction Dramatis Personae Prologue: Before the First Scene Scene 1: Listening to the Storyteller Scene 2: Learning the Songs Scene 3: Commotion at the Sacrifice Scene 4: Reporting on the Performance Scene 5: Visiting the Beauty Scene 6: Sleeping in Fragrance Scene 7: Rejecting the Trousseau Scene 8: Bustle at the Riverside Pavilion Scene 9: Soothing the Troops Scene 10: Writing the Letter Scene 11: Delivering the Letter Scene 12: Leaving the Old Quarters Scene 13: Lamenting the Emperor Scene 14: Blocking the Malefactors Scene 15: Welcoming the Emperor Scene 16: Setting up Court Scene 17: Resisting the Matchmaker Scene 18: Fighting for Precedence Scene 19: Pacifying the Conflict Scene 20: Moving the Garrison Extra Scene 20: Idle Chat Additional Scene 21: Solitary Chants Scene 21: Flattering the Powerful Scene 22: Guarding the Tower Scene 23: Sending the Fan Scene 24: Denouncing the Revelers Scene 25: Choosing the Actors Scene 26: Tricking the General Scene 27: Meeting on the Boat Scene 28: Inscribing the Painting Scene 29: Arresting Revival Society Members Scene 30: Returning to the Mountains Scene 31: Drafting the Impeachment Scene 32: Offering Sacrifice at the Altar Scene 33: Meeting in Prison Scene 34: Blocked at Banji Scene 35: Declaration to the Troops Scene 36: Fleeing from Calamity Scene 37: Seizing the Treasure Scene 38: Drowning in the River Scene 39: Finding Refuge in Temples Scene 40: Entering the Way Sequel to Scene 40: Lingering Notes Bibliography

Anyone who wants to engage at all more seriously with this Chinese classic will be well-served (and even readers without much background in classical Chinese literature shouldn't be scared off by the perhaps-scholarly appearance of this edition; it really is perfectly approachable).