Huo Xiaoyu zhuan

Huo Xiaoyu zhuan (traditional Chinese: 霍小玉傳; simplified Chinese: 霍小玉传), also translated as The Story of Huo Xiaoyu[1][2] or The Tale of Huo Xiaoyu, is a chuanqi tale written by Jiang Fang (蔣防; 792–835) during the Tang dynasty.

Pages from a printed edition of Huo Xiaoyu zhuan, collected by the Harvard-Yenching Library, Harvard University

The protagonist of the story is a courtesan named Huo Xiaoyu, who falls madly in love with a handsome young poet named Li Yi. While Li Yi was indeed a famous poet during Jiang Fang's lifetime, Huo Xiaoyu herself is a fictional character. There is also no evidence that Jiang Fang personally knew of Li Yi, or that the story is based on an actual account.[3] The tale was famously adapted into a play by Ming dynasty playwright Tang Xianzu as Zichai ji (The Story of the Purple Jade Pin or The Purple Hairpin).[3]

Citations
  1. Santangelo, Paolo (2003). Sentimental Education in Chinese History. Brill. p. 300.
  2. Ni, Jindan (2020). The Tale of Genji and Its Chinese Precursors. Lexington Books. pp. 59–60.
  3. André Lévy, commentaires à « L'amour trahi », dans Histoires d'amour et de mort de la Chine ancienne, p. 146-147.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.