Peony in Love

THE MING DYNASTY FELL IN 1644 AND THE QING DYNASTY, LED BY the Manchus, began. For about thirty years, the country was in turmoil. Some women were forced from their homes; others went out by choice. Literally thousands ofwornen became published poets and writers. The lovesick maidens were a part of this phenomenon. The works of more than twenty ofthem have survived to today. I have followed the traditional Chinese style for rendering dates. Emperor Kangxi reigned frorn 1662 to 1722. Tang Xianzu's opera The Peony Pavilion was first produced and then published in 1598. Chen Tong (Peony in this novel) was born ca. 1649, Tan Ze ca. 1656, and QianYi ca. 1671. In 1694, The Three Wives' Commentary becarne the first book ofits kind to be written and published by women anywhere in the world.