Tang Xianzu, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Tang Xianzu

Chinese playwright

Date of Birth: 24-Sep-1550

Place of Birth: Linchuan District, Jiangxi, China

Date of Death: 29-Jul-1616

Profession: writer, poet, playwright

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Tang Xianzu (traditional Chinese: ???; simplified Chinese: ???; September 24, 1550 – July 29, 1616), courtesy name Yireng (??), was a Chinese playwright of the Ming Dynasty. Tang was a native of Linchuan, Jiangxi and his career as an official consisted principally of low-level positions.
He successfully participated in the Provincial examinations (juren) at the age of 21 and at the imperial examinations (jinshi) at the age of 34.
He held official positions in Nanjing, Zhejiang province, Guangdong province etc.
He retired in 1598 and returned to his hometown where he focused on writing.
Tang died in 1616, the same year as famed English playwright William Shakespeare.His major plays are collectively called the Four Dreams, because of the decisive role dreams play in the plot of each one.
All of them are still performed (in scenes, or in adapted full versions) on the Chinese Kun opera (kunqu) stage.
Generally considered his masterpiece, the Mudan Ting (The Peony Pavilion) has been translated into English several times. A translation of his complete dramatic works in English was published in China in 2014 and in London in 2018.