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Kong Shangren (; 1648 – 1718) was a 
Born in Qufu, Kong was a 64th-generation descendant of
p. 942-972
(
Archive
. * Strassberg, Richard, ''The World of K'ung Shang-jen: A Man of Letters in Early Ch'ing China''. New York: Columbia University Press, 1983. *
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
dramatist and poet best known for his ''chuanqi
Chuanqi ("strange tale", "legend", or "romance", depending on context) may refer to two related but distinct forms of Chinese fiction:
*Chuanqi (short story), a genre of Chinese fiction usually associated with the Tang dynasty (618–907); the sto ...
'' play '' The Peach Blossom Fan''"Frommer's China", Simon Foster et al., 2010, p. 383, about the last days of the Ming dynasty.
Born in Qufu, Kong was a 64th-generation descendant of Confucius
Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...
. He guided the Kangxi Emperor
The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to 1 ...
when he visited Qufu.
''The Peach Blossom Fan'' tells the story of the love story between the scholar Hou Fangyu and the courtesan Li Xiangjun
Li Xiangjun (; 1624–1654) was a courtesan, singer, and musician during the Ming dynasty. Her life was dramatised in the play ''The Peach Blossom Fan''.
Biography
Li is referred to as Li Ji () or Li Xiang () in contemporary sources. To demonst ...
, against the dramatic backdrop of the short history of the Southern Ming. It remains a favourite of the Kun opera ( kunqu) stage.
Kong Shangren is known as the author of a curious poem dedicated to the eyeglasses, a Western innovation brought to Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
by the Portuguese. Spence, '' The Search for Modern China'', 64–65.
References
Further reading
* Owen, Stephen, "Kong Shang-ren, ''Peach Blossom Fan'': Selected Acts," in Stephen Owen, ed. ''An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911''. New York: W. W. Norton, 1997p. 942-972
(
Archive
. * Strassberg, Richard, ''The World of K'ung Shang-jen: A Man of Letters in Early Ch'ing China''. New York: Columbia University Press, 1983. *
External links
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kong, Shangren 1648 births 1718 deaths Qing dynasty poets People from Qufu Poets from Shandong Descendants of Confucius Writers from Jining 18th-century Chinese dramatists and playwrights 17th-century Chinese dramatists and playwrights