Li Xiangjun was a Gējì during the Ming dynasty. Her life was dramatised in the play The Peach Blossom Fan.Li Xiangjun's romance with Hou Fangyu has been called one of the greatest romances of Chinese history. She is one of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai described by late Qing officials. The other famed Gējìs of this group are Ma Xianglan, Bian Yujing (卞玉京), Dong Xiaowan, Liu Rushi, Gu Mei, Kou Baimen (寇白门), and Chen Yuanyuan.

A Gējì or Geji is a female professional performer of song and dance in ancient China. The modern term "Yiji (艺妓)" is not used in ancient Chinese sources. The modern expression "Yiji (艺妓)" in Chinese may have been first seen in the novel "The Ancient House" by Wang Xiyan.The modern expression "Yiji(藝妓)" in Chinese may also have appeared earlier in Taiwan's Alias for Yidan(藝旦) during the Japanese occupation.