The Peony Pavilion
A play by Tang Xianzu, first performed in 1598, in which Du Liniang falls in love with Liu Mengmei in a dream, dies, and returns to life.
Kunqu: A refined form of Chinese opera that emerged in the Yangtze River region and is known for lyrical singing and elegant movement. The play became one of Kunqu’s best-known works, shaped by its singing and performance conventions.
Du Liniang: The young woman at the center of The Peony Pavilion, whose dream of love leads to illness, death, and return to life. Her changing state drives the play’s movement from dream to resurrection.
Tang Xianzu: A Ming dynasty playwright and poet, best known for The Peony Pavilion and the four plays called the Four Dreams of Linchuan. He wrote the play and fashioned its distinctive union of lyrical language and romantic plot.
Qingqing: A term in The Peony Pavilion associated with intense, authentic feeling that can surpass ordinary reason and social convention. Tang’s framing of feeling helps explain why Du Liniang’s desire overcomes death.
Chuanqi: A long-form Chinese dramatic genre developed during the Ming dynasty, known for elaborate plots, lyrical language, and multiple acts. The play is a major example of this genre’s scale and lyrical style.
Liu Mengmei: The scholar in The Peony Pavilion who encounters Du Liniang in her dream and later finds her portrait and tomb. His search and recognition help make her return to life possible.
Four Dreams of Linchuan: Four plays by Tang Xianzu, each organized around a dream and known collectively by this title. The Peony Pavilion is the best-known work in this group of dream-centered plays.
Gender in Chinese literature: The study of how Chinese literary works represent gender, gender roles, and relations between women and men. Du Liniang’s agency invites analysis of women’s desire within patriarchal institutions.
Ming dynasty: A Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 1368 to 1644. The play’s language, institutions, and theatrical world emerged in the late Ming.
The Interrupted Dream: A celebrated scene in The Peony Pavilion in which Du Liniang dreams of meeting Liu Mengmei in a garden. The dream establishes a love that becomes more powerful than waking social constraints.