Author Description

The Palace of Eternal Youth is one of the most remarkable dramas in Chinese literature. It was written by Hong Sheng (1645-1705) in 1688, during the early years of the Qing (Manchu) Dynasty. It is a tragedy which takes as its theme the love between Emperor Ming Huang of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and his favorite concubine Yang Yuhuan. For a thousand years this love story captured the imagination of poets, storytellers and dramatists, who used it over and over again in their works until it became one of the most popular historical romances in China. Though Hong Sheng's opera won immediate popularity and created a sensation in the literary world when it was published, the Manchu rulers distrusted it due to the nationalistic spirit which pervaded it. To this day, however, the opera is considered one of the most beloved stories in the Chinese theatrical tradition. This English edition, expertly translated from the Chinese by Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang, remains the enduring standard.