The Evidence and Importance of 'Qing' in Chen Hongshou's Illustrations for 'Xixiang Ji'

The romance drama Xixiang ji was particularly popular in the Ming dynasty in China. Zhang Shenzhi's edition of Xixiang ji is a special edition, because it includes six illustrations created by a famous artist, Chen Hongshou (1598-1652). By creating illustrations for Xixiang ji, Chen Hongshou expressed his thoughts of qing, which means feeling, emotion, love, sentiment or passion.;The publication of Zhang Shenzhi's edition of Xixiang ji was an achievement of gatherings of a literati circle in appreciation of qing. Chen Hongshou, as an active member of the literati circle, was influenced by the cult of qing shared in this group. Moreover, Chen Hongshou expresses the cult of qing in his six illustrations for Xixiang ji by showing his appreciation of female beauty and the inner feelings of female characters, his exaltation of emotion, and his obsessive interest in drama performance.