About the author
Hong Sheng (1645–1704) was a Qing-dynasty playwright and poet, courtesy name Fangsi and literary name Piqi, from Qiantang in Zhejiang (present-day Hangzhou). A student of the Imperial College, he repeatedly failed the civil examinations and instead made his name as a writer of chuanqi drama. His masterpiece The Palace of Eternal Life won wide renown and earned him a reputation alongside Kong Shangren as “Hong of the South and Kong of the North.” In 1689 he was stripped of his examination status after a theatrical performance during the period of imperial mourning; he lived in poverty in his later years and died in 1704 after falling into the water while drunk. His works often draw on traditional subjects and combine literati lyricism with the demands of stage performance, leaving a lasting influence on Qing drama. The library holds 10 related works, commonly classified under documentary literature, culture, folk literature, classics, and literary appreciation; public information on other details of his life is limited.
Written (10)
Rating 4.5★ The Palace of Eternal Life Hong Sheng Shanghai Classics Publishing House · 2026 Longsheng dian (The Palace of Eternal Life) is a classic Kunqu chuanqi play by Hong Sheng, the renowned early Qing literatus and dramatist, who refine… Rating 4.7★ The Palace of Eternal Life Hong Sheng Shanghai Classics Publishing House · 2025 As a chuanqi play by early Qing dramatist Hong Sheng, *The Palace of Eternal Life* tells the love story of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and Yang Guifei, a… Rating 4.7★ The Four Great Classical Chinese Dramas (4-Volume Set) Hong Sheng / Tang Xianzu / Kong Shangren / Wang Shifu · 2025 Romance of the Western Chamber, Peach Blossom Fan, The Peony Pavilion, and The Palace of Eternal Life are among the most influential works in the hist… Rating 4.7★ The Palace of Eternal Life Hong Sheng China Friendship Publishing Company · 2025 The Palace of Eternal Life draws on Bai Juyi's Song of Everlasting Sorrow, Chen Hong's Tale of the Song of Everlasting Sorrow, and other sources. It i… Rating 4.5★ Classic Opera: The Palace of Eternal Life (Part One) Hong Sheng · 2024 The Palace of Eternal Life is a classic work of literature that mainly recounts the sincere and tragic love story between Emperor Ming of Tang and Lad… Rating 4.5★ Classic Opera: The Palace of Eternal Life (Part Two) Hong Sheng · 2024 Classic Opera: The Palace of Eternal Life (Volume 2) Rating 4.4★ The Palace of Eternal Life (Illustrated Edition) Hong Sheng / 俞为民 Shanghai Classics Publishing House · 2024 Hong Sheng's The Palace of Eternal Life and Kong Shangren's The Peach Blossom Fan are celebrated chuanqi masterpieces of the early Qing stage, known t… Rating 4.5★ The Palace of Eternal Life Hong Sheng / 吴人 / 李保民 Shanghai Classics Publishing House · 2022 The Qing dynasty chuanqi play The Palace of Eternal Life is set against the rise and fall of the Tang dynasty and tells the deeply moving love story o… Rating 4.3★ Xu Yuanchong's Translation of The Palace of Eternal Life Hong Sheng / Xu Yuanchong / Xu Ming China Translation & Publishing House · 2022 Classical poetry and drama are treasures of China's literary heritage and the essence of its culture. The aesthetic trends and precious wealth created… Rating 4.5★ The Palace of Eternal Life (Unannotated Edition) Hong Sheng · 2015 The Palace of Eternal Life is a play by Hong Sheng (1645–1704), a dramatist of the early Qing dynasty. Its material is drawn from the long poem "The S…Publishers
Shanghai Classics Publishing HouseChina Friendship Publishing CompanyChina Translation & Publishing House