杨恩寿

Yang Enshou was a Qing-dynasty writer on drama, though public information about him is limited and neither his dates nor his native place are clearly recorded. Two works bearing his name survive, Ciyu Conghua and its sequel Xu Ciyu Conghua, both belonging to the genre of drama criticism. "Ciyu," literally "the remainder of ci," is an alternative term for qu (aria), and the two books follow the traditional form of quhua, collecting and evaluating dramatists, plays, and anecdotes of the theatrical world while also touching on prosody, diction, and the sources of plots. They are important materials for the study of Qing drama criticism. Their emphasis falls on appreciation and ranking, with discussion that is concrete and close to actual practice, and they are often cited in the collation and study of classical drama texts. Because the author's life is difficult to verify, later understanding of him and his work rests mainly on these two books themselves.