Tang Xianzu's The Peony Pavilion stands at a summit of China's romantic literary tradition. In the form of Kunqu, it brings poetry, music, dance, drama, abstraction, and lyricism into an exquisite whole.
Following his celebrated lectures on Dream of the Red Chamber, Pai Hsien-yung turns to the work he has loved throughout his life. He examines its characters, language, stagecraft, and philosophy of love, opening a path into classical Chinese aesthetics.
