A Kunqu performer's portrayal of Hu Sanniang

Kunqu (崑曲; pinyin: Kūnqǔ; Wade-Giles: k'un-ch'ü), also known as Kunju, Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from the Kunshan melody, and dominated Chinese theatre from the 16th to the 18th centuries. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1728x2304, 2609 KB) Summary photographer Yuan Shuo, License: Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1728x2304, 2609 KB) Summary photographer Yuan Shuo, License: Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Wade-Giles, sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration) system for the Chinese language based on Mandarin. ... Emperor Xuan-Zong of Tang (left) and his Consort Yang Yuhuan (right) portrayed in a Chinese Opera 19th century Chinese opera Chinese opera costumes Some athletic jump Chinese opera is a popular form of drama in China. ... Kunshan ( 昆山; pinyin: KÅ«nshān; Wade-Giles: Kun-shan) is a county-level city in Jiangsu, China. ... A faded sign advertising Beijing opera. ...

History

Kunqu boasts a 600-year history and is known as the "teacher" or "mother" of a hundred operas, because of its influence on other Chinese theatre forms, including Jingju. Its emergence ushered in the second Golden Era of Chinese drama, but by the early twentieth century it had nearly disappeared. A female Beijing opera performer with traditional costume and makeup A male Beijing opera performer Beijing opera or Peking opera (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a form of Chinese opera which arose in the late 18th century and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century. ...

One of the major literary forms of the Ming and Qing dynasties was chuanqi drama, originating from the South. Plays that continue to be famous today, including The Peony Pavilion and The Peach Blossom Fan, were originally written for the Kunqu stage. In addition, many classical Chinese novels and stories, such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin and Journey to the West were adapted very early into dramatic pieces. For other uses, see Ming. ... Flag (1890-1912) Anthem Gong Jinou (1911) Qing China at its greatest extent. ... English translation published by Indiana University Press The Peony Pavilion (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ) is a play written by Tang Xianzu in the Ming Dynasty. ... For other uses, see Romance of the Three Kingdoms (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Guo Shiguang be merged into this article or section. ... The four heroes of the story, left to right: Sūn Wùkōng, Xuánzàng, Zhū Bājiè, and Shā Wùjìng. ...

Today, Kunqu is performed professionally in seven Mainland Chinese cities: Beijing (Northern Kunqu Theatre), Shanghai (Shanghai Kunqu Theatre), Suzhou (Suzhou Kunqu Theatre), Nanjing (Jiangsu Province Kunqu Theatre), Chenzhou (Hunan Kunqu Theatre), Yongjia County/Wenzhou (Yongjia Kunqu Theatre) and Hangzhou (Zhejiang Province Kunqu Theatre), as well as in Taipei. Non-professional opera societies are active in many other cities in China and abroad, and opera companies occasionally tour. Peking redirects here. ... For other uses, see Shanghai (disambiguation). ... This article is about the city in Jiangsu. ... For other uses, see Nanjing (disambiguation). ... Jiangsu Province Kun Opera is a professional company, based in Nanjing, engaged in Kunqu research, production and performance. ... A city located in the southern area of Hunan province, in China. ... Yongjia County (永嘉县) is a county in the prefecture-level city of Wenzhou (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) Categories: | ... Wenzhou (Simplified Chinese: 温州; Traditional Chinese: 溫州; Hanyu Pinyin: ) is a prefecture-level city with a population of 873,000 in southeastern Zhejiang province, Peoples Republic of China. ...   (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Postal map spelling: Hangchow) is a sub-provincial city located in the Yangtze River Delta in the Peoples Republic of China, and the capital of Zhejiang province. ... Nickname: Coordinates: , Country Region City seat Xinyi District (信義區) Government  - Mayor Hau Lung-bin (KMT)1 E9 Area  - City 271. ...

Kunqu was listed as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001. Its melody or tune is one of the Four Great Characteristic Melodies in Chinese opera. Map showing the Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage by country designation as of 2005: red (countries with 4 designations), orange (3), yellow (2) and green (1). ... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Four Great Characteristic Melodies (四大声腔 pinyin: Sìdà Shēngqiāng) in Chinese opera are Bangziqiang, Huangpiqiang, Kunqiang and Gaoqiang. ...

Repertoire

• The Peony Pavilion (Tang Xianzu)
• The Peach Blossom Fan (Kong Shangren)
• The Palace of Long Life (Hong Sheng)
• The White Snake
• The Western Mansion (Southern version, adapted from Wang Shifu's zaju)
• The Injustice done to Dou E (adapted from Guan Hanqing's zaju)
• The Kite (Li Yu)

English translation published by Indiana University Press The Peony Pavilion (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ) is a play written by Tang Xianzu in the Ming Dynasty. ... Tang Xianzu (1550 - 1616) was a Chinese playwright of the Ming Dynasty. ... Kong Shangren 孔尚任 (1648-1718) was a Qing Dynasty dramatist and poet best known for his chuanqi play The Peach-Blossom Fan. Born in Qufu, Kong was a descendant of Confucius. ... Picture on long veranda in the Summer Palace, Beijing, China, depicting the legend Madame White Snake (白蛇傳) (or Lady White Snake) is a Chinese legend, which existed as oral traditions before any written compilation. ... Wang Shifu (c1250 - c1337) was a successful Chinese dramatic playwright of the Yuan Dynasty. ... Considered one of the Four Great Yuan Playwrights, Guan Hanqing (關漢卿) (circa 1241-1320), sobriquet the Oldman of the Studio (齋叟 Zhāisǒu), was born in the capital city of the Yuan Empire, Dadu (the part that is Anguo, Hebei, China now) and produced about 65 plays, mostly in Vernacular Chinese... Li Yu (李漁, 1610 - 1680) was born in the Kiangsu province of China in 1610. ...

Dramatists

• Tang Xianzu
• Kong Shangren
• Li Yu
• Hong Sheng
• Feng Menglong

Tang Xianzu (1550 - 1616) was a Chinese playwright of the Ming Dynasty. ... Kong Shangren 孔尚任 (1648-1718) was a Qing Dynasty dramatist and poet best known for his chuanqi play The Peach-Blossom Fan. Born in Qufu, Kong was a descendant of Confucius. ... Li Yu (李漁, 1610 - 1680) was born in the Kiangsu province of China in 1610. ... Feng Menglong (1574-1645) was a Chinese vernacular writer/poet of the late Ming Dynasty. ...

Performers

• Yu Zhenfei
• Mei Lanfang
• Zhang Jiqing
• Wang Shiyu
• Yue Meiti
• Liang Guyin
• Cai Zhengren
• Ji Zhenhua
• Jennifer Hua Wenyi
• Qian Yi

Méi Lánfāng (梅蘭芳; 1894-1961) was a Peking opera legend. ...

External links

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• UNESCO the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Kunqu Opera
• The Kunqu Society, Inc
• The Society of Kunqu Arts, Inc.
• What is Kunqu Theatre ?