Pages from a printed edition of Huo Xiaoyu zhuan, collected by the Harvard-Yenching Library, Harvard University

"The Tale of Huo Xiaoyu" (traditional Chinese: 霍小玉傳; simplified Chinese: 霍小玉传; pinyin: Huò Xiǎoyù zhuàn), also translated as "The Story of Huo Xiaoyu",[1][2] is a chuanqi tale written by Jiang Fang (蔣防; 792–835) during the Tang dynasty.

The protagonist of the story is a courtesan named Huo Xiaoyu, who falls madly in love with a handsome young poet named Li Yi. While Li Yi was indeed a famous poet during Jiang Fang's lifetime, Huo Xiaoyu herself is a fictional character. There is also no evidence that Jiang Fang personally knew of Li Yi, or that the story is based on an actual account.[3] The tale was famously adapted into a play by Ming dynasty playwright Tang Xianzu as Zichai ji (The Story of the Purple Jade Pin or The Purple Hairpin).[3]

Citations

  1. Santangelo, Paolo (2003). Sentimental Education in Chinese History. Brill. p. 300.
  2. Ni, Jindan (2020). The Tale of Genji and Its Chinese Precursors. Lexington Books. pp. 59–60.
  3. 1 2 André Lévy, commentaires à « L'amour trahi », dans Histoires d'amour et de mort de la Chine ancienne, p. 146-147.
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