Abstract: The legend of Stealing Peach, is the only work recorded in history by Wu Xiude, a composer from southern Anhui in the late Ming Dynasty. The drama presentation of Dongfang Shuo's story has the overall characteristics of both seriousness and melodrama, which reveals Wu Xiude's own literati mentality of respecting ancient history, questioning fame and advocating chivalry. When Wu Xiude is placed in the overall context of the opera artists in southern Anhui in the late Ming Dynasty, it can be found that there are many similarities in their creation styles, which is closely related to the social background of the late Ming Dynasty and the cultural environment in southern Anhui.

Key words: Wu Xiude, Stealing Peach, the late Ming Dynasty, southern Anhui, traditional opera