The Peach Blossom Fan: A Symbol of Fate and Liberation

Abstract

The Peach Blossom Fan uses the peach blossom and the fan as symbols to depict Li Xiangjun's journey from entrapment to resistance, and from romantic love to transcendence. The peach blossom symbolizes Xiangjun's fate, while the acts of gifting the fan, staining the fan, painting the fan, sending the fan, and tearing the fan represent her active resistance against fate and her process of self-awareness. By analyzing Li Xiangjun's entanglement with fate under the peach blossom imagery and her transcendent struggle embodied in the "fan dance," this paper reveals the close connection between individual destiny and the socio-historical context. It explores an individual's resistance and self-transcendence in the face of adversity, thereby clarifying how this character transcends the traditional image of women in Chinese literature.