On the Much-Debated Remarriage Case of Li Qingzhao

Abstract

This article examines Li Qingzhao’s much-debated remarriage case. Rumor had it that the preeminent female Ci lyric writer once remarried to a corrupt minor official Zhang Ruzhou after her husband’s death. However, by closely studying Li’s biographical records and evidence unearthed by Qing textual researchers, we argue that Qingzhao was attacked primarily because of her satirical literary criticism; she was simply ill-tolerated by a male-dominant society.