Abstract: The opera story The Peony Pavilion created by Tang Xianzu shocked the opera circle, and its influence can be seen in the Pear Blossom Dream by He Peizhu, a Huizhou female playwright in Qing Dynasty. Her imitation of The Peony Pavilion was not limited to the plot and character setting. Her Pear Blossom Dream inherited the strong humanistic care in the former one, and deeply presented the complex emotions of women. Both Tang Xianzu and He Peizhu started from the dilemma of women, and showed the complicated psychological journey of their respective female protagonists Du Liniang and Du Lanxian from "being at a loss" to "salvation". Due to the differences in story style and plot, as well as in gender and emotional needs of male and female writers, the images of Du Liniang and Du Lanxian are quite distinct from each other. By comparing the different female images in the works of male and female writers, we can not only see the changes and development of female images, but also understand the spiritual world and emotional pursuit of female writers in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Key words: The Peony Pavilion, Pear Blossom Dream, female, dilemma, salvation