Li Xiangjun

Li Xiangjun (1624–1654) was a Gējì during the Ming dynasty. Her life was dramatised in the play The Peach Blossom Fan.Li Xiangjun's romance with Hou Fangyu has been called one of the greatest romances of Chinese history. She is one of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai described by late Qing officials. The other famed Gējìs of this group are Ma Xianglan, Bian Yujing (卞玉京), Dong Xiaowan, Liu Rushi, Gu Mei, Kou Baimen (寇白门), and Chen Yuanyuan.

Biography
Li Xiangjun is also referred to as Li Xiang or Li Ji. Her courtesy name was Xiangshanzhui .Li Xiangjun was born in the Wu family in Fengqiao, Changmen, Suzhou in 1624,she had two brothers. Her father was originally a military attache, because he was a member of the Donglin Party, he was convicted by Wei Zhongxian and a group of eunuchs. After that, his family fell into decline and she wandered away from home. When Li Xiangjun was eight years old, she was adopted by the Geji Li Zhenli. She changed her surname from Wu to Li with her adoptive mother Li Zhenli. Li Xiangjun studied with teachers since she was a child, the Meixiang Lou(媚香楼) she lives in is a professional singing and dancing performance venue. When she was 13, she learned singing from musician Su Kunsheng(苏昆生). She was very good at music and could sing "The Peony Pavilion" at the age of sixteen. Li Xiangjun was a Geji who was proficient in music, poetry, and playing the silk and bamboo pipa. She was especially good at southern music, and her singing voice was sweet and popular. Because her adoptive mother Li Zhenli(李贞丽) was generous and elegant, most of the guests at Meixiang Lou were literati and upright and loyal ministers.

In 1639, Hou Fangyu, who was already one of the "Four Young Masters of Fushe(复社四公子)", met the 16-year-old Geji Li Xiangjun at Meixianglou on the bank of the Qinhuai River through the introduction of Zhang Tianru and Chen Dingsheng. Due to their common interests, the two hit it off and fell in love with each other, and soon they got married at Li Xiangjun's residence. But because he came out to take the exam, Hou Fangyu did not bring much money to marry Li Xiangjun. At this time, his friend Yang Longyou gave him a huge financial support. That night Hou Fangyu gave Li Xiangjun a fine engraved ivory bone-white silk palace fan as a token of love. The fan was tied with an amber fan pendant inherited from the Hou family, and he wrote a poem. Later, Hou Fangyu(侯方域) and Li Xiangjun learned that Ruan Dacheng(阮大成) had donated the money to Hou Fangyu through Yang Longyou that day, with the intention of making Hou Fangyu owe him a favor. Ruan Dacheng had been an official in the court for many years. He was cunning and conspired with the eunuch Wei Zhongxian. After Wei Zhongxian(魏忠贤) was killed, Ruan Dacheng, a fellow rebel, was dismissed from his official position by the imperial court. He retreated to Nanjing, where he made friends with people in the world and prepared for a comeback. After Ruan Dacheng learned that Hou Fangyu was in urgent need of money, he managed to get Yang Longyou to give the money to Hou Fangyu. The purpose was to ease the relationship with Chen Zhenhui and others by winning over Hou Fangyu, so that they would not go against him. After Hou Fangyu learned the truth, he was very angry. He decided to return the money to Ruan Dacheng immediately. At this time, Li Xiangjun pulled out the hairpin from his head without hesitation, took off his Luo shirt, and sold his beloved jewelry. She borrowed some money from other Gejis and finally got enough money. She comforted Hou Fangyu: "If you take off your gorgeous dresses, it doesn't matter if you are poor; if you wear commoners and simple hairpins, your reputation will be more fragrant."

Shortly after the two fell in love, Hou Fangyu failed the exam because his article hit the mark and violated taboos, so he left Nanjing in a hurry. Li Xiangjun sent her to Taoye Ferry, played the pipa as a farewell, and said, "After my husband left, I will no longer play." The two vowed each other and parted with tears. Li Xiangjun admired Hou Fangyu's talents and appreciated his integrity. She encouraged him to draw a clear line with the powerful minister Ruan Dacheng, returned Ruan Dacheng's gifts, and supported him to join Shi Kefa's anti-Qing struggle. For this reason, she thanked guests behind closed doors and waited for Hou Fangyu's return. After Hou Fangyu and Li Xiangjun separated, Governor Tian Yang wanted to take Xiangjun as his concubine and was willing to pay three hundred silver to meet him. Under Ruan Dacheng's instigation, Tian Yang came to Meixiang Tower to welcome his bride. After being rejected by Li Xiangjun, Tian Yang was very angry and sent someone to snatch the bride. Li Xiangjun refused with death, and blood splattered on the folding fan. At that time, the painter Yang Longyou happened to be present. He picked up the palace fan and painted a few peach blossoms on the blood, which gave it the name "Peach Blossom Fan". Ruan Dacheng did not want to let Li Xiangjun go, but personally wrote the lyrics and script for Emperor Hongguang of the Southern Ming Dynasty. After Li Xiangjun recovered from his injury, Ruan Dacheng immediately selected Li Xiangjun to be a Geji in the palace under the guise of a palace order. Li Xiangjun could not resist this move. How could she, a Geji, dare to disobey the imperial edict. She wanted to write a letter to Hou Fangyu who was far away, asking him to come back and see her. However, the war was going on at this time and all transportation was cut off, so the letter could not be sent at all. With infinite nostalgia and regret, Li Xiangjun entered the palace, holding the blood-stained peach blossom fan tightly in his arms.

In 1644, Qing soldiers captured Yangzhou and pushed towards Nanjing. Emperor Hongguang fled after hearing the news, and was eventually kidnapped by his subordinates and sacrificed to the Qing army. Afterwards, the city of Nanjing was destroyed without attack. When the city of Nanjing was destroyed, Li Xiangjun and some palace residents escaped from the palace at night, and the streets were in chaos. Li Xiangjun discovered that Meixiang Tower had also disappeared into a sea of fire, and suddenly fell to the bridge. At this time, Su Kunsheng, Li Xiangjun's music teacher, was passing by Changbanqiao and accidentally discovered Li Xiangjun sitting on the ground. He quickly helped her up, only to realize that she had nowhere to go, so he took her with the flow of refugees to Suzhou. Hou Fangyu was also in Nanjing that night. He escaped and fled back to Nanjing after the defeat in Yangzhou. When he arrived, the Qing soldiers were massacring the city. He was worried about Li Xiangjun's safety and rushed to the Qinhuai River, only to see Meixiang Tower burning into a ball of flames, and no one familiar with him could be seen. He wandered around Meixiang Tower all night, looking for her, but could not see Li Xiangjun's shadow.

In 1645, Li Xiangjun hid in Baozhen Temple in Qixia Mountain and became a Taoist priest with his former Geji friend Bian Yujing. Li Xiangjun had been escaping from the Qing army for a long time, and eventually fell ill. When she was dying, she struggled to ask her friend Bian Yujing to cut a lock of black silk for herself, carefully wrap it in red silk, and then tie it to her cherished peach blossom fan. Then he handed it to Bian Yujing and asked her to hand it over to Hou Fangyu. She also left his last words: "Young Master should keep the integrity of the Ming Dynasty and don't work for the Manchus. I will remember the Young Master's love under the Jiuquan." In the autumn of 1645, Hou Fangyu found Li Xiangjun in Qixia Mountain. After discussion, the two joined hands to cross the river and head north to their hometown of Shangqiu. Li Xiangjun concealed her identity as a Geji and moved into the Xiyuan Feicui Building as a woman of the Wu family and a concubine of Hou Fangyu. Here, she lives in harmony with her parents-in-law; she also treats Hou Fangyu's first wife as if they are like sisters; she has a deep love with Hou Fangyu and his wife, and they are in harmony with each other. Li Xiangjun and Hou Fangyu were singing in the Zhuanghuitang Hall, playing the harp and harp in harmony, coming in and out in pairs, making others envious. During the eight years from 1645 to 1652, Li Xiangjun lived a peaceful and comfortable life. When Hou Fangyu went to Nanjing to find Li Xiangjun's relatives named Wu, Li Xiangjun's identity as a Geji was also known to the Hou family. The Hou family had strict upbringing and could not tolerate Li Xiangjun, who was a Geji. The father-in-law Hou Xun ordered Li Xiangjun to move out of Feicui Building. After some intercession, he reluctantly allowed her to live in Hou's Firewood Garden - Daji Garden, fifteen miles away from the city, which was a desolate village. At this time, they learned that Li Xiangjun was pregnant, which aroused the sympathy of her mother-in-law and Mrs. Chang. They repeatedly begged Hou Xun, and Hou Xun reluctantly agreed to send a maid to serve there. Li Xiangjun gave birth to a boy for Hou Fangyu, and the child was taken away by the Hou family. After Hou Fangyu returned to Shangqiu, he found that Li Xiangjun had been driven to the outskirts of the city. He was extremely sad and angry. He repeatedly asked his father to withdraw his order, but was repeatedly reprimanded mercilessly. Li Xiangjun, who was driven out, was depressed all day long because he could not see Hou Fangyu. She became ill over time and died of tuberculosis at the age of thirty. Hou Fangyu erected a stele for her and inscribed a couplet: "You died with hatred, and I will be ashamed for the rest of my life." There was a stone table in front of the stele and a round "stone pier of shame" in front of the table. Hou Fangyu often went to Xiangjun's tomb and sat on the stone. I could not bear to leave for a long time. On December 13, 1654, Hou Fangyu also died of depression at the age of 37. Because of Li Xiangjun's low status, he was not able to be buried with Hou Fangyu.

Residence
The residence of Li Xiangjun is open to the public as part of Nanjing's literary cultural heritage. It is located in Nanjing, in the vicinity of Fuzimiao on the Qinhuai River.