The Peach Blossom Fan

The story is set in the last days of the Ming Dynasty, when the Manchu invaders were already in close proximity to the capital. Instead of fighting the enemy, the great officials of state devoted themselves to intrigues, corruption and self-aggrandizement. A few concerned individuals, mostly members of the literati, spent time in endless debates and took no practical action. It fell to a courtesan, the Perfumed Lady, to show them the way. Her young lover, Hou Fangyu, however, chose to relinquish the world, in spite of his earlier professions of patriotism. Broken-hearted, she retired to a convent and became a nun.

Much of what appears in the book is factual. The principle characters were real people; even the fan existed.

T. L. Yang (楊鐵樑) was born in 1929 in Shanghai. He studied law in Soochow University from 1946 to 1949. In 1950 he entered London University, graduating with the degree of LL.B. (Hons) in 1953. After his call to the Bar in 1954, he joined the Judiciary in Hong Kong, rising to the post of Chief Justice in 1988. In 1996 he resigned from his post and ran, unsuccessfully, for the Chief Executiveship of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. He is now a member of the Chief Executive’s Executive Council. Since his retirement from the Bench, he has actively pursued his interest in translating Chinese classics into English. Other interests include travel, reading, philately and Chinese antiques.