“The Biography of Tang Xianzu” by Wu Fengchu and Huang Wenxi

2026-10-26

Tang Xianzu’s Story | Such Is the Treasure Grove of the Western Heaven

Having bid farewell to Dayu, Tang Xianzu continued southward, traveling by water and then taking to the land once he disembarked, eventually reaching Qujiang County in Shaoguan, Guangdong (present-day Qujiang District). In Qujiang stood a temple known as Nanhua Temple. Tang Xianzu had previously heard of Nanhua Temple from Liu Yingqiu, and when he departed Nanjing for his post in Xuwén, Guangdong, Liu Yingqiu even entrusted him to pay a visit to Nanhua Temple, to ascertain whether the robe and bowl left behind by the Sixth Patriarch Huineng were still extant.

2026-10-26

Tang Xianzu Stories | Zhanxiu Was Born in the Office of the Vice Minister of Rites

During his tenure as a doctoral official at the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing, Tang Xianzu incurred the displeasure of Wang Shizhen, a leading figure of the “Later Seven Masters” of the late Ming’s archaizing faction, owing to his divergent views on literary creation. Moreover, his superior, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Wang Shimao, happened to be Wang Shizhen’s younger brother. Consequently, during the annual imperial inspection, the evaluation report and accompanying remarks drafted by Wang Shimao were hardly likely to be favorable.

2026-10-26

Tang Xianzu: The Only Work That Truly Made Him Proud Was “The Peony Pavilion,” with Classic Exam Questions Included

“The Story of the Peony Pavilion” (commonly known as “The Peony Pavilion,” and also referred to as “A Dream of Rebirth” or “The Dream of the Peony Pavilion”) is a chuanqi play written by the Ming‑dynasty dramatist Tang Xianzu (September 24, 1550 – July 29, 1616), first published in the forty-fifth year of the Wanli era of the Ming dynasty (1617).

2026-10-26

Appreciation of a Fine Work | When Shakespeare Met Tang Xianzu

A Fine Piece of Writing...

2026-10-26

Biography of Tang Xianzu in the History of the Ming Dynasty

Tang Xianzu, courtesy name Ruoshi, was a native of Linchuan. In his youth, he excelled in literary composition and enjoyed a reputation as a talented writer. Zhang Juzheng sought to have his son pass the imperial examinations and enlisted the support of prominent scholars throughout the realm to promote him. Upon hearing of Tang Xianzu’s distinguished scholarly standing, Zhang ordered his sons to summon him. Tang Xianzu politely declined to attend. Consequently, the eminent scholar and Zhang Juzheng’s son, Si Xiu, both passed the examinations that year. It was not until the eleventh year of the Wanli reign that Tang Xianzu finally earned the jinshi degree. He was appointed as a junior official at the Imperial Academy in Nanjing and soon thereafter transferred to the Ministry of Rites as a chief clerk.

2026-10-26