Shangren Kong

author

Shangren Kong

1648–1718

Best known for writing The Peach Blossom Fan, this Qing dynasty dramatist turned the fall of the Ming into one of the great classics of Chinese theater. A descendant of Confucius, he combined historical memory, political feeling, and lyrical stagecraft in work that still stands out centuries later.

1 Audiobook

桃花扇

桃花扇

by Shangren Kong

About the author

Born in 1648, Kong Shangren was a Chinese dramatist and poet of the early Qing period, remembered above all for The Peach Blossom Fan. He came from Qufu in Shandong, the hometown of Confucius, and is widely described as a descendant of Confucius.

His reputation rests mainly on The Peach Blossom Fan, a historical drama set against the collapse of the Southern Ming. The play is admired for weaving romance together with the shock of political change, and it remains one of the best-known works of classical Chinese drama.

Kong Shangren lived from 1648 to 1718. Modern readers often meet him through studies of late imperial Chinese literature and theater, where he is valued for bringing together elegant writing, historical reflection, and a strong sense of the stage.