![](../I/page19-220px-Harvard_drs_428497264_%E8%AA%AA%E9%83%9B_v.114%252C_%E7%9B%AE%E9%8C%84.pdf.jpg.webp)
"The Tale of Huo Xiaoyu" (traditional Chinese: 霍小玉傳; simplified Chinese: 霍小玉传; pinyin: Huò Xiǎoyù zhuàn), also translated as "The Story of Huo Xiaoyu",[1][2] is a chuanqi tale written by Jiang Fang (蔣防; 792–835) during the Tang dynasty.
The protagonist of the story is a courtesan named Huo Xiaoyu, who falls madly in love with a handsome young poet named Li Yi. While Li Yi was indeed a famous poet during Jiang Fang's lifetime, Huo Xiaoyu herself is a fictional character. There is also no evidence that Jiang Fang personally knew of Li Yi, or that the story is based on an actual account.[3] The tale was famously adapted into a play by Ming dynasty playwright Tang Xianzu as Zichai ji (The Story of the Purple Jade Pin or The Purple Hairpin).[3]