Jump to content

Li Xiangjun: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
Line 17: Line 17:
| relatives = Li Zhenli(李贞丽) ({{small|adopted mother}})
| relatives = Li Zhenli(李贞丽) ({{small|adopted mother}})
}}
}}
'''Li Xiangjun''' ({{zh|c=李香君}}; 1624–1654) was a [[Gējì]] during the [[Ming dynasty]].Her life was dramatised in the play ''[[The Peach Blossom Fan]]''.{{sfnp|Hou|1712}}Li Xiangjun's romance with Hou Fangyu has been called one of the greatest romances of Chinese history.<ref name=js>{{cite web | url=http://js.xhby.net/system/2009/03/06/010454689.shtml | title=李香君——"秦淮八艳"里的硬骨头 | trans-title=Li Xiangjun: the hard hear of the 'eight beauties of Qinhuai' | language=Chinese | last1 =Liu 刘| first1=Lei 磊| website=Nanjing Chenbao | date=6 March 2009 | access-date=12 September 2017}}</ref>She is one of the ''Eight Beauties of Qinhuai'' ({{zh|c=秦淮八艳}}) described by late [[Qing]] officials. The other famed Yijis of this group are [[Ma Xianglan]], Bian Yujing ({{lang|zh|卞玉京}}), [[Dong Xiaowan]], [[Liu Rushi]], [[Gu Mei]], Kou Baimen ({{lang|zh-Hant|寇白门}}), and [[Chen Yuanyuan]].{{sfnp|Xie|Shi|2014|p=181}}
'''Li Xiangjun''' ({{zh|c=李香君}}; 1624–1654) was a [[Gējì]] during the [[Ming dynasty]].Her life was dramatised in the play ''[[The Peach Blossom Fan]]''.



==Biography==
==Biography==

Revision as of 04:27, 14 April 2024

In this Chinese name, the family name is Li.
Li Xiangjun
Painting of Li Xiangjun 1817
Painting of Li Xiangjun 1817
Native name
李香君
Born1624
Suzhou, Jiangsu, Ming Dynasty
Died1654 (aged 29–30)
Qing Dynasty
Pen nameLi Xiang(李香), Wu Shi(吴氏)
OccupationGējì
LanguageChinese
PartnerHou Fangyu(侯方域)
RelativesLi Zhenli(李贞丽) (adopted mother)

Li Xiangjun (Chinese: 李香君; 1624–1654) was a Gējì during the Ming dynasty.Her life was dramatised in the play The Peach Blossom Fan.[1]Li Xiangjun's romance with Hou Fangyu has been called one of the greatest romances of Chinese history.[2]She is one of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai (Chinese: 秦淮八艳) described by late Qing officials. The other famed Yijis of this group are Ma Xianglan, Bian Yujing (卞玉京), Dong Xiaowan, Liu Rushi, Gu Mei, Kou Baimen (寇白门), and Chen Yuanyuan.[3]


Biography

Li Xiangjun is also referred to as Li Xiang (Chinese: 李香) or Li Ji (Chinese: 李姬).[4] Her courtesy name was Xiangshanzhui (Chinese: 香扇坠).

Li Xiangjun was born in the Wu family in Fengqiao, Changmen, Suzhou in 1624,she had two brothers. Her father was originally a military attache,because he was a member of the Donglin Party, he was convicted by Wei Zhongxian and a group of eunuchs. After that, his family fell into decline and she wandered away from home. When Li Xiangjun was eight years old, she was adopted by the Geji Li Zhenli. She changed her surname from Wu to Li with her adoptive mother Li Zhenli.[5][6]Li Xiangjun studied with teachers since she was a child,the Meixiang Lou(媚香楼) she lives in is a professional singing and dancing performance venue. When she was 13, she learned singing from musician Su Kunsheng. She was very good at music and could sing "The Peony Pavilion" at the age of sixteen. Li Xiangjun was a Geji who was proficient in music, poetry, and playing the silk and bamboo pipa. She was especially good at southern music, and her singing voice was sweet and popular.[7]Because her adoptive mother Li Zhenli was generous and elegant, most of the guests at Meixiang Tower were literati and upright and loyal ministers.[8][9]

In 1639, Hou Fangyu, who was already one of the "Four Young Masters of Fushe(复社四公子)", met the 16-year-old Geji Li Xiangjun at Meixianglou on the bank of the Qinhuai River through the introduction of Zhang Tianru and Chen Dingsheng. Due to their common interests, the two hit it off and fell in love with each other, and soon they got married at Li Xiangjun's residence. But because he came out to take the exam, Hou Fangyu didn't bring much money to marry Li Xiangjun. At this time, his friend Yang Longyou gave him a huge financial support. That night Hou Fangyu gave Li Xiangjun a fine engraved ivory bone-white silk palace fan as a token of love. The fan was tied with an amber fan pendant inherited from the Hou family, and he wrote a poem.Later, Hou Fangyu and Li Xiangjun learned that Ruan Dacheng had donated the money to Hou Fangyu through Yang Longyou that day, with the intention of making Hou Fangyu owe him a favor. Ruan Dacheng had been an official in the court for many years. He was cunning and conspired with the eunuch Wei Zhongxian. After Wei Zhongxian was killed, Ruan Dacheng, a fellow rebel, was dismissed from his official position by the imperial court. He retreated to Nanjing, where he made friends with people in the world and prepared for a comeback. After Ruan Dacheng learned that Hou Fangyu was in urgent need of money, he managed to get Yang Longyou to give the money to Hou Fangyu. The purpose was to ease the relationship with Chen Zhenhui and others by winning over Hou Fangyu, so that they would not go against him. After Hou Fangyu learned the truth, he was very angry. He decided to return the money to Ruan Dacheng immediately. At this time, Li Xiangjun pulled out the hairpin from his head without hesitation, took off his Luo shirt, and sold his beloved jewelry. She borrowed some money from other Gejis and finally got enough money. She comforted Hou Fangyu: "If you take off your gorgeous dresses, it doesn't matter if you are poor; if you wear commoners and simple hairpins, your reputation will be more fragrant."[10][11]

Shortly after the two fell in love, Hou Fangyu failed the exam because his article hit the mark and violated taboos, so he left Nanjing in a hurry. Li Xiangjun sent her to Taoye Ferry, played the pipa as a farewell, and said, "After my husband left, I will no longer play." The two vowed each other and parted with tears. Li Xiangjun admired Hou Fangyu's talents and appreciated his integrity. She encouraged him to draw a clear line with the powerful minister Ruan Dacheng, returned Ruan Dacheng's gifts, and supported him to join Shi Kefa's anti-Qing struggle. For this reason, she thanked guests behind closed doors and waited for Hou Fangyu's return. After Hou Fangyu and Li Xiangjun separated, Governor Tian Yang wanted to take Xiangjun as his concubine and was willing to pay three hundred silver to meet him. Under Ruan Dacheng's instigation, Tian Yang came to Meixiang Tower to welcome his bride. After being rejected by Li Xiangjun, Tian Yang was very angry and sent someone to snatch the bride. Li Xiangjun refused with death, and blood splattered on the folding fan. At that time, the painter Yang Longyou happened to be present. He picked up the palace fan and painted a few peach blossoms on the blood, which gave it the name "Peach Blossom Fan".[12][13]Ruan Dacheng did not want to let Li Xiangjun go, but personally wrote the lyrics and script for Emperor Hongguang of the Southern Ming Dynasty. After Li Xiangjun recovered from his injury, Ruan Dacheng immediately selected Li Xiangjun to be a Geji in the palace under the guise of a palace order. Li Xiangjun couldn't resist this move. How could she, a Geji, dare to disobey the imperial edict. She wanted to write a letter to Hou Fangyu who was far away, asking him to come back and see her. However, the war was going on at this time and all transportation was cut off, so the letter could not be sent at all. With infinite nostalgia and regret, Li Xiangjun entered the palace, holding the blood-stained peach blossom fan tightly in his arms.[14]

In 1644, Qing soldiers captured Yangzhou and pushed towards Nanjing. Emperor Hongguang fled after hearing the news, and was eventually kidnapped by his subordinates and sacrificed to the Qing army. Afterwards, the city of Nanjing was destroyed without attack. When the city of Nanjing was destroyed, Li Xiangjun and some palace residents escaped from the palace at night, and the streets were in chaos. Li Xiangjun discovered that Meixiang Tower had also disappeared into a sea of fire, and suddenly fell to the bridge. At this time, Su Kunsheng, Li Xiangjun's music teacher, was passing by Changbanqiao and accidentally discovered Li Xiangjun sitting on the ground. He quickly helped her up, only to realize that she had nowhere to go, so he took her with the flow of refugees to Suzhou. Hou Fangyu was also in Nanjing that night. He escaped and fled back to Nanjing after the defeat in Yangzhou. When he arrived, the Qing soldiers were massacring the city. He was worried about Li Xiangjun's safety and rushed to the Qinhuai River, only to see Meixiang Tower burning into a ball of flames, and no one familiar with him could be seen. He wandered around Meixiang Tower all night, looking for her, but could not see Li Xiangjun's shadow.[15]

Residence

Memorial Hall to Li Xiangjun

The residence of Li Xiangjun (Chinese: 李香君故居) is open to the public as part of Nanjing's literary cultural heritage.[16] It is located in Nanjing, in the vicinity of Fuzimiao on the Qinhuai River.[17]

References

Notes

  1. ^ Hou (1712).
  2. ^ Liu 刘, Lei 磊 (6 March 2009). "李香君——"秦淮八艳"里的硬骨头" [Li Xiangjun: the hard hear of the 'eight beauties of Qinhuai']. Nanjing Chenbao (in Chinese). Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  3. ^ Xie & Shi (2014), p. 181.
  4. ^ Wang (2011), p. 88.
  5. ^ "桃花扇定情"香扇坠"：秦淮八艳之李香君".
  6. ^ Wang (2011), p. 88-89.
  7. ^ "一把桃花扇 讲述如歌如泣的爱情故事".
  8. ^ Yu (1693).
  9. ^ Wang (2011), p. 89.
  10. ^ "一把桃花扇 讲述如歌如泣的爱情故事".
  11. ^ 孔尚任《桃花扇·却奁》:(生)原来如此，俺看圆海情辞迫切，亦觉可怜。就便真是魏党，悔过来归，亦不可绝之太甚，况罪有可原乎。定生、次尾，皆我至交，明日相见，即为分解。(末) 果然如此，吾党之幸也。(旦怒介) 官人是何说话，阮大铖趋附权奸，廉耻丧尽;妇人女子，无不唾骂。他人攻之，官人救之，官人自处于何等也。【川拨棹】不思想，把话儿轻易讲。要与他消释灾殃，要与他消释灾殃，也堤防旁人短长。官人之意，不过因他助俺妆奁，便要徇私废公;那知道这几件钗钏衣裙，原放不到我香君眼里。(拔簪脱衣介) 脱裙衫，穷不妨; 布荆人，名自香。(生) 好，好，好! 这等见识，我倒不如，真乃侯生畏友也。
  12. ^ "桃花扇：李香君把短短的30年人生，活成了400年的传奇".
  13. ^ "血溅桃花扇：秦淮八艳之首李香君之死".
  14. ^ "李香君归宿何处之谜".
  15. ^ "秦淮八艳之首，李香君".
  16. ^ Zhang (2007), p. 43.
  17. ^ Zhang (2007), p. 42.

Works cited

  • Hou Fangyu 侯方域 (1712). "李姬传" [Tale of Woman Li]. 壮悔堂文集 [Zhuanghuitang Collected Works] (in Chinese). Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  • Wang 王, Chen 晨 (2011). "秦淮河上真实的李香君——李香君身世与才貌考" [The real Li Xiangjun of Qinhuai River: Consideration of Li Xiangjun's reality and talents]. Yuwen Xuekan (in Chinese) (6): 88–89 & 94.
  • Xie 谢, Yongfang 永芳; Shi 施, Qin 琴 (2014). "像传题咏与经典重构———以《秦淮八艳图咏》为中心" [Acclaim for portraits and classical reconstruction: 'Qinhuai bayan tuyong' as the centre]. Zhongguo Wenhua Yanjiu (in Chinese) (2): 180–188.
  • Yu 怀, Huai 怀 (1693). 板桥杂记 [Notes from Banqiao] (in Chinese).
  • Zhang 张, Weiya 维亚 (2007). "文学旅游地的遗产保护与开发——南京夫子庙李香君故居和王谢古居案例研究" [On the Heritage Protection and Development of Literary Tourism Destinations —— Taking Li Xiangjun Former Residence and Wang Xie Ancient House in Nanjing Confucius Temple as A Case]. Luyou Xuekan (in Chinese) (3): 40–44.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Li_Xiangjun&oldid=1218839265"