The Passion of Yang Kwei-Fei: From Ancient Chinese Texts

In the heritage of every race there is a love-epic, some poignant, legendary tale: Tristan and Iseult, Romeo and Juliet, Dierdre. The touching tale of Yang Kwei-fei and her imperial lover, Ming Huang, is the great love-story of China.

It is historical in every feature, for both the hero and the heroine were talented and celebrated poets; and Li Po and Tu Fu, the most famous singers of the Flowery Kingdom, were the chief ornaments of their court. So every incident of their happiness, adventures, and suffering has been transmitted to us in the frail, precious lyrics of the two lovers and their immortal contemporaries. Perhaps because the subject matter was so well known, the Chinese writers have never collected the parts of the story into one coherent entity. It has survived in lyric plays, authentic memoirs, and dynastic verse of the period, and in fragments chanted by blind musicians on the terraces of moonlit tea-houses. M. de Morant has collected each incident and reconstructed the undying romance and Mr. Bedord Jones and M. de Morant have collaborated in making it a beautiful and moving thing.