The Secret Teachings of Gu Taiqing, the Qing Dynasty's Greatest Poetess

The poetry of Gu Taiqing, the Qing dynasty's foremost female lyric poet, was said to rival that of Nalan Xingde: “Among men, Cheng Rongruo; among women, Taiqing Chun.” This speaks to Gu Taiqing's stature in Qing literary history.

She was not only accomplished in poetry, but also the granddaughter-in-law of Yongqi, the Qianlong Emperor's fifth son, and the secondary consort of Prince Yi Hui.

But Gu Taiqing was descended from a disgraced official. How could she become a prince's secondary consort? How did they conceal the truth from the Imperial Clan Court?

How devoted were the two of them to each other? How did they persuade the principal consort to welcome her into the household of her own accord?

And yet, after Yi Hui's death, why did Gu Taiqing's mother-in-law drive her out of the prince's residence?

Was her relationship with the Qing poet Gong Zizhen truly innocent, or were they lovers?

This book reveals the little-known secrets of Gu Taiqing, one by one, and offers readers a different portrait of her.