409 years ago today, on July 29, 1616 (June 16, 1616, the 1616 lunar calendar), Ming Dynasty opera artist Tang Xianzu passed away in Linchuan. Tang Xianzu Tang Xianzu (September 24, 1550-July 29, 1616, 403 years ago) was a opera dramatist and litterateur in the late Ming Dynasty in China. The meaning of the word still remains, he is known as Hairuo and Qingyuan Taoist priests. In his later years, he is known as Ruosi and Cocoon Weng. He is from Linchuan (now Jiangxi). Tang Xianzu (1549-1616) wrote a total of five legendary plays in his life. Among them,"The Story of the Purple Hairpin","The Story of the Soul","The Story of Nanke", and "The Story of Handan" all have dream plots, so they are collectively called the "Four Dreams of Linchuan", also known as the "Four Dreams of Yumingtang". His masterpiece "The Peony Pavilion"("Return of the Soul") is a masterpiece of romanticism in the history of Chinese opera. Tang Xianzu was born in a scholarly family. He has read poetry and books since he was a child, and his character is upright and upright. In the fifth year of Wanli (1577), Tang Xianzu went to Beijing to take the exam, but refused to accept the solicitation of Prime Minister Zhang Juzheng, so he failed twice. It was not until the eleventh year of Wanli (1583), when he was 33 years old, the year after Zhang Juzheng's death, that he passed the Jinshi examination. After Tang Xianzu won the Jinshi, he still refused to join the new prime minister Shen Shixing, so he could only hold a vacant position in Nanjing. During his tenure, he had close interactions with Donglin Party members. In the 19th year of Wanli (1591), he wrote "On Assistant Ministers and Kechen Notes", exposing the accumulated shortcomings in current politics, criticizing the court, and impeaching ministers, thus angering Emperor Shenzong. He was later demoted to Guangdong. Later, he was transferred to the county magistrate of Suichang, Zhejiang. Tang Xianzu was an honest local official, considerate of the people's sentiments, and won the hearts of the people. However, in the end, he was dissatisfied with the corruption of the government, so he abandoned his official position and returned to his hometown in the 26th year of Wanli (1598). He built a leisure house in Linchuan, called "Yumingtang". From then on, he devoted himself to drama and literary creation and spent his life. Tang Xianzu commented that Tang Xianzu was contemporaneous with Shakespeare in England, so he is also called "the Shakespeare of the Orient" by modern people. Tang Xianzu's works represent a typical oriental drama style.