Sheng Hong

Hong Sheng (1645–1704), sometimes listed as Sheng Hong in Western catalogs, was a Chinese playwright and poet from Qiantang, in present-day Hangzhou. He is most closely associated with The Palace of Eternal Life (Changsheng dian), the drama that made his reputation and remains his best-known work.

He lived in the early Qing dynasty and became famous for writing elegant, emotionally rich drama. Traditional accounts often pair him with Kong Shangren as “Southern Hong and Northern Kong,” a sign of how highly both writers were regarded in the world of classical theater.

His masterpiece, completed in 1688 after multiple revisions, retells the story of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and Yang Guifei, blending romance with political tragedy. Reliable page-image results did not surface a suitable portrait to confirm, so no author image is included here.