# Li Xiangjun

Li Xiangjun (Chinese: 李香君; 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 (Chinese: 秦淮八艳) described by late Qing officials. The other famed Gējìs of this group are Ma Xianglan, Bian Yujing (Chinese: 卞玉京), Dong Xiaowan, Liu Rushi, Gu Mei, Kou Baimen (Chinese: 寇白门), and Chen Yuanyuan.

## Biography
### Early years

Li Xiangjun is also referred to as Li Xiang (Chinese: 李香) or Li Ji (Chinese: 李姬). Her courtesy name was Xiangshanzhui (Chinese: 香扇坠). 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 left home. When Li Xiangjun was eight years old, she was adopted by the Geji Li Zhenli (Chinese: 李贞丽) and subsequently changed her surname from Wu to Li. Li Xiangjun lives in Meixiang Lou (Chinese: 媚香楼), a professional performance venue. When she was 13, she learned singing from musician Su Kunsheng (Chinese: 苏昆生). Li Xiangjun was proficient in music, poetry, and playing the traditional pipa. With her sweet and popular singing vocals, she was especially good at southern music. She could sing "The Peony Pavilion" at the age of sixteen. Because her adoptive mother Li Zhenli was generous and elegant, most of the guests at Meixiang Lou were literati and upright and loyal ministers.

### Marriage

In 1639, Hou Fangyu (Chinese: 侯方域), who was already one of the "Four Young Masters of Fushe" (Chinese: 复社四公子), met the 16-year-old Li Xiangjun at Meixiang Lou on the bank of the Qinhuai River. They fell in love and got married at Li Xiangjun's residence. That night, Hou Fangyu gifted Li Xiangjun a traditional Chinese fan, on which he wrote a poem as a token of love. The fan, made of engraved ivory and silk, had an amber pendant inherited from the Hou family.
Hou Fangyu did not have enough money for the marriage, so his friend Yang Longyou gave him a huge financial support. Later, Hou Fangyu and Li Xiangjun found out that the loan actually came from Ruan Dacheng (Chinese: 阮大成). Ruan's purpose was to ease the relationship with Chen Zhenhui and others by winning over Hou Fangyu, so that they would not go against him. Ruan was a cunning senior official in the court, who conspired with the eunuch Wei Zhongxian (Chinese: 魏忠贤). After Wei was killed, Ruan was dismissed from the imperial court and retreated to Nanjing. After learning the truth, Li Xiangjun removed the hairpin from her head, sold her jewelry and borrowed from other Gejis to return the debt. She comforted Hou Fangyu: "Remove my dresses, it is fine to be poor; wear commoners clothing, your reputation will be clean."

### Blood-stained fan

After Hou Fangyu failed the scholar exam because of his controversial criticism in his article, he left Nanjing in a hurry. Li Xiangjun bid farewell by playing the pipa at Taoye Ferry, and said: "Once my husband depart, I will no longer play." The couple parted with tears and vows. Li Xiangjun admired Hou Fangyu's talents and integrity. She urged him to cut ties with minister Ruan Dacheng and supported him to join Shi Kefa's anti-Qing struggle. For this reason, she stopped working as Geji and waited for Hou Fangyu's return.
After their separation, Governor Tian Yang offered three hundred silvers to see Li, with intention to take her as his concubine. Under Ruan Dacheng's instigation, Tian Yang arrived at Meixiang Tower for Li but was rejected. A furious Tian Yang sent orders to kidnap Li, who struggled violently and splattered blood on the fan gifted by Hou. Incidentally, the painter Yang Longyou picked up the fan and painted peach blossoms using the blood, thus giving it the name "Peach Blossom Fan".

### Summon to the palace

After Li's recovery, Ruan Dacheng ordered Li to be a Geji in the palace under the guise of an imperial order. As a commoner, Li could not dis-obey this imperial edict. She was unable to write to Hou due to the on-going war. Li Xiangjun was forced into the palace with the blood-stained fan in hand.
In 1644, Qing soldiers captured Yangzhou and invaded Nanjing. Emperor Hongguang fled and was eventually kidnapped by his subordinates to be sacrificed to the Qing army. With the city of Nanjing in chaos, Li Xiangjun escaped from the palace and from the Changban bridge, saw Meixiang Tower being burned. Li's music teacher, Su Kunsheng, eventually took her to sought refuge in Suzhou. Conincidentally, Hou Fangyu was also in Nanjing that night. He rushed to Qinhuai River in search of Li Xiangjun, only to see Meixiang Tower on fire.
In 1645, Li Xiangjun became a Taoist nun in Baozhen Temple, Qixia Mountain with his former Geji friend Bian Yujing. Li eventually fell ill. At her sick bed, Li asked Bian to cut a lock of her own hair, wrap in red head scarf, and tie it to her fan to be handed to Hou Fangyu. Her parting words: "Guard the integrity of the Ming Dynasty, never work for the Manchus. I will remember your love even in death."

### Entering Hou family

In the autumn of 1645, Hou Fangyu found Li Xiangjun in Qixia Mountain and returned north to Shangqiu. Concealing her Geji identity, Li moved into Xiyuan Feicui Building as Hou Fangyu's concubine with her old surname Wu. She lived in harmony with her parents-in-law and also respected Hou Fangyu's first wife. Li and Hou often performed poetry and pipa as a couple at the Zhuanghuitang Hall.
From 1645 to 1652, Li Xiangjun lived a peaceful and comfortable life. When Hou Fangyu was away in Nanjing, the Hou family learned of Li's past identity as a Geji and could not tolerate her in the household. The father-in-law Hou Xun chased Li out of Feicui Building and reluctantly allowed her to live in a desolute village, fifteen miles away from the city. After learning of Li's pregnancy and sympathetic pleads from her mother-in-law and Mrs. Chang, Hou Xun reluctantly sent a servant for Li Xiangjun. Li gave birth to a boy who was taken away by the Hou family.

### Death

After his return, Hou Fangyu begged his father to withdraw his order, but was repeatedly reprimanded. Li Xiangjun fell to depression and died of tuberculosis at the age of thirty. Hou Fangyu erected a stele that inscribed: "Wife died with hatred, Husband ashamed for life." In front of the stele was a stone table and column stool named "stone stool of regret". Hou often visited Li's tomb and sat on the stone stool for a long time. On 13 December 1654, Hou died of depression at the age of 37. Because of Li's status, she was not allowed to be buried with Hou Fangyu.

## Residence

The residence of Li Xiangjun (Chinese: 李香君故居) 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.