Pei Yu: Boy Actress

In the last dynasty of China, graceful young men, known as hsiang-k'ung, enacted the parts of women on the stage. Hsiang-k'ung were also trained in literature, intellectual games and the sensual arts. Off stage, they served the personal needs of noblemen, who vied fir their affections..... Pei Yu is a novel based on the life of such a young man who rose to fame as a singer and actor-actress, as noblemen risked honor and position to seek his favor. The story is told by George Soulié de Morant, a French novelist of the turn-of-the-century, who lived in China during the final years before the Republic. Fluent in the language and culture, he reveals the color and texture of the country while leading us through adventures, intrigues, values, tastes and passions of classes of people long forgotten by contemporary China.