Dream in Peony Pavilion

Tang Xianzu (September 24, 1550 — July 29, 1616), courtesy name Yireng, was a Chinese playwright of the Ming Dynasty. Tang was a native of Linchuan, Jiangxi and his career as an official consisted principally of low-level positions. He successfully participated in the Provincial examinations at the age of 21 and at the imperial examinations at the age of 34. He held official positions in Nanjing, Zhejiang province, Guangdong province etc.. He retired in 1598 and returned to his hometown where he focused on writing. His major plays are collectively called the Four Dreams, because of the decisive role dreams play in the plot of each one. All of them are still performed (in scenes, or in adapted full versions) on the Chinese Kun opera (kunqu) stage. Generally considered his masterpiece, the Mudan Ting (The Peony Pavilion) has been translated into English several times; each of the other plays has been translated once. Xu Yuanchong (born April 18, 1921 in Jiangxi, China) is a translator of Chinese ancient poets into English and French. Xu took foreign language studies at Tsinghua University after he studied abroad. And after that, he became a professor in English and French. Since 1983 to now, he is professor at Peking University.