A contemporary of Shakespeare, Tang Xianzu (1550–1616) is considered China’s greatest playwright, whose lyrical works mark the literary high point of the Ming dynasty. This collection of five major pieces in English translation features The Purple Flute, The Purple Hairpins, The Nanke Dream and The Handan Dream, together with his most celebrated work, The Peony Pavilion, which has 55 scenes and a performance time of 18 hours: ‘in world drama there is no more extensive and beautiful exploration of love’.