"The Peony Pavilion", also known as "Return of the Soul", is the representative work of Tang Xianzu, a dramatist of the Ming Dynasty. Tang Xianzu said that he had "four dreams" in his life, and he was only proud of "The Peony"." It describes the Nan'an prefect Du Liniang's encounter with the scholar Liu Mengmei in a dream. After waking up from the dream, I couldn't find it everywhere. I became sick with worry and died of sadness. Du Liniang's ghost found Liu Mengmei, and they fell in love. Liu Mengmei dug up the grave and opened the coffin, Liniang came back to life, and the two got married. "The Peony Pavilion" expresses the theme of "deep love", praising love that transcends ethics, life and death, and praising free humanity. "The Peony Pavilion" is another classic drama that describes the love between men and women in the history of ancient Chinese operas after "The Romance of the West Chamber". It has been performed to this day and has influenced generations of audiences and readers. There are many editions of "The Peony Pavilion". From the middle of the Ming Dynasty to today, a total of more than 30 editions or printed editions have been produced. This is based on Zhu Yuanzhen's proofreading edition in the late Ming Dynasty, and has been edited and annotated. The annotations are concise and easy to read; it is supplemented by various embroidered figures, with pictures and texts, which is pleasing to the eye.
