"The peony pavilion is a representative work by the outstanding Chinese dramatist Tang Xianzu of the 16th century. The work, through the romantic love story between DU Liniang and Liu Mengmei, reflects the persistent aspiration for free love and exposes the evil of the feudal ethics. With its complicated plot and magnificent structure, the peony pavilion in 55 scenes is particularly known for its excellent character portrayals. Its 160 odd characters provide a panoramic picture of social life in the Ming dynasty. The work is renowned for its beautiful verses and has much influence on the development of drama in China in later days. The English translation of this version is the first versified version of the "Peony pavilion".