author
Sheng Hong
1645–1704
A major playwright and poet of the early Qing period, he is best remembered for The Palace of Eternal Life, a richly emotional drama that helped secure his place in the Chinese theatrical tradition. His work is still admired for blending romance, history, and lyrical elegance.
1 Audiobook
長生殿
by Sheng Hong
About the author
Born in Qiantang, in present-day Hangzhou, into a scholar-official family, he studied at the Imperial Academy in Beijing but never built an official career. Instead, he devoted himself to writing, and over time became known as one of the most important dramatists of his age.
His best-known work, The Palace of Eternal Life (Changsheng dian), retells the story of Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei with both grandeur and intimacy. The play became a landmark of kunqu drama and is often mentioned alongside the work of Kong Shangren, with the pair remembered in the saying “Southern Hong, Northern Kong.”
His life was marked by literary ambition as well as disappointment, including years of examination failure and controversy surrounding the performance of his most famous play. Even so, his writing endured, and he remains one of the classic voices of Chinese drama and poetry.