The Qinhuai River's banks were Ming-Qing Nanjing's entertainment and pleasure quarters — home of the
秦淮八艳 ('Eight Beauties of Qinhuai'), famous Ming loyalist courtesan-poets including
李香君 and
柳如是, later romanticized in Kong Shangren's play
桃花扇 (The Peach Blossom Fan).
