A historical play reflecting on the Ming-Qing dynastic transition, the Peach Blossom Fan enacts a love story in the context of the short-lived Southern Ming regime (1643-1645) beset by corruption, factionalism, and decadence. How does Nanjing serve as the main stage where the Revival Society scholar Hou Fanyu meet and “marry” the famous courtesan Li Xiangjun in the Qinhuai pleasure quarters? What antagonistic forces drive the downward spiral of the political and personal setbacks intertwined when Hou and Li are apart? How does the changing fan embody the emotional bond of the couple? How would you understand the theatrical design of the play, embedded in the dialectics of self and role, history and drama, and reality and illusion?
