Famous Qu Songs of the Yuan Dynasty cover

Famous Qu Songs of the Yuan Dynasty

Rating 3.0
Word count
70K words
Chapters
109
ISBN
9787801356956

Tags

Summary

Chinese culture is a culture that values peace and upholds the ideal personality of the golden mean. When diverse cultures meet, it is skilled at integration—impartial, without resentment, favoring harmony and balance—enabling the Chinese nation to grow and flourish. Chinese culture is like a vast sea of converging rivers, boundless and immeasurable. "A History of Chinese Culture" narrates China's extraordinary journey from prehistory to the present: the opening of territory, the formation of the nation, social evolution, economic and cultural development, and political change. To fully present this magnificent history, the book devotes nearly 12 million characters across 8 volumes and 232 fascicles.

Editor's review

Although "Famous Yuan Songs" is compiled by Li Munan, it is worth noting that the book is in fact an introductory compilation belonging to the "Chinese Culture Knowledge Reader" series jointly published by China Environmental Science Press and Xueyuan Audio-Visual Press. Upon examination, the book is not a strictly academic monograph but leans toward cultural popularization for general readers. It collects representative works from Yuan sanqu and zaju, including famous pieces by Guan Hanqing, Ma Zhiyuan, Zhang Yanghao and others, accompanied by brief annotations and interpretations. For readers encountering Yuan literature for the first time, the book offers a low-threshold entry point that helps quickly build a preliminary impression of the basic character of Yuan songs and their representative authors. Yet in terms of depth and professionalism, its analysis is relatively shallow; discussion of qupai prosody, historical background and literary value is not thorough, and it lacks cutting-edge scholarly perspectives or original close reading. Its value lies more at the level of "initiation" and "index"—readers may use it to discover points of interest and then seek more specialized literature for deeper study. The binding and layout are typical of popular readers, with practicality outweighing artistry.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Middle school or university students interested in Yuan literature or classical poetry who seek an introductory guide.
  • General readers who want a quick overview of representative Yuan song authors and classic pieces to enrich their cultural knowledge.
  • Enthusiasts who need a concise anthology of Yuan songs as a teaching aid or for amateur appreciation.
  • Readers who habitually collect or browse popular books on traditional Chinese culture.

Not a good fit for

  • Scholars and professionals seeking in-depth academic analysis, rigorous textual collation, or specialized study of Yuan song prosody.
  • Deeply literary readers expecting fine illustrations, extensive historical background, or strongly personal aesthetic interpretation.

Reading tips

  1. It is advisable to treat this book as a "map" rather than a "destination"; while reading, focus on representative works by different authors (such as the bold and the delicate styles) and appreciate their differences.
  2. Read alongside reference materials on Yuan dynasty history to better understand the era's sentiments and social character embodied in the works.
  3. For pieces you particularly enjoy, note the author and qupai name, and later seek more detailed annotated editions or research papers for extended reading.

About the publisher

Jointly credited to China Environmental Science Press and Xueyuan Audio-Visual Publishing House, the publications held in this catalog number 243 titles and cover common categories such as architecture, popular science, philosophy, world history, theory, and art. They include works on history and architecture, such as The World History of Architecture: Frozen Music and The Hometown of the Hanging Gardens: Babylon; popular science titles such as 100 Scientific Discoveries That Shook the World and 100 Technological Inventions That Refreshed the World; and works on intellectual and art history, such as The Most Beautiful Flower on Earth: A History of World Thought and The Sublimation of Life and Production: A History of Arts and Crafts. Works by authors including Wen Ming, Peng Pingping, Ge Dan, Qian Shu, and Li Munan form the main author resources. Because public information on the two institutions' complete catalogs and editorial plans is limited, this description presents their publishing direction only on the basis of the books in the catalog: mainly history, popular science, and art history, with some theoretical works, and under the joint imprint a emphasis on knowledge popularization and the humanities and social sciences.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 《中国文学百科》编委会
  3. 前言
  4. 小令
  5. [越调·小桃红]
  6. [南吕·干荷叶]
  7. [仙吕·醉中天]
  8. [双调·潘妃曲]
  9. [双调·沉醉东风]
  10. [正宫·黑漆弩]
  11. [双调·沉醉东风]
  12. [正宫·白鹤子]
  13. [中吕·阳春曲]
  14. [中吕·阳春曲]
  15. [南吕·四块玉]
  16. [越调·天净沙]
  17. [双调·寿阳曲]
  18. [仙吕·后庭花]
  19. [双调·殿前欢]
  20. [正宫·鹦鹉曲]
  21. [双调·清江引]
  22. [正宫·小梁州]
  23. [双调·水仙子]
  24. [双调·落梅引]
  25. [双调·得胜令]
  26. [正宫·鹦鹉曲]
  27. [正宫·塞鸿秋]
  28. [南吕·四块玉]
  29. [南吕·玉交枝]
  30. [中吕·朝天子]
  31. [中吕·喜春来]
  32. [南吕·四块玉]
  33. [越调·凭阑人]
  34. [中吕·朝天曲]
  35. [中吕·朝天曲]
  36. [南吕·金字经]
  37. [商调·梧叶儿]
  38. [中吕·山坡羊]
  39. [双调·落梅风]
  40. [黄钟·人月圆]
  41. [双调·水仙子]
  42. [双调·折桂令]
  43. [双调·折桂令]
  44. [越调·寨儿令]
  45. [双调·殿前欢]
  46. [中吕·朝天子]
  47. [越调·天净沙]
  48. [越调·天净沙]
  49. [正宫·醉太平]
  50. [中吕·迎仙客]
  51. [正宫·小梁州]
  52. [南吕·金字经]
  53. [南吕·金字经]
  54. [黄钟·红锦袍]
  55. [双调·蟾宫曲]
  56. [仙吕·一半儿]
  57. [双调·清江引]
  58. [仙吕·解三酲]
  59. [仙吕·一半儿]
  60. [双调·殿前欢]
  61. [双调·水仙子]
  62. [中吕·阳春曲]
  63. [仙吕·醉中天]
  64. [中吕·迎仙客]
  65. [中吕·红绣鞋]
  66. [双调·水仙子]
  67. [双调·寿阳曲]
  68. [正宫·叨叨令]
  69. [商调·梧叶儿]
  70. [中吕·山坡羊]
  71. [中吕·朝天子]
  72. [中吕·满庭芳]
  73. [正宫·醉太平]
  74. [正宫·塞鸿秋]
  75. [正宫·塞鸿秋]
  76. [正宫·塞鸿秋]
  77. [正宫·醉太平]
  78. [正宫·醉太平]
  79. [仙吕·寄生草]
  80. [仙吕·寄生草]
  81. [中吕·朝天子]
  82. [中吕·乔捉蛇]
  83. 带过曲
  84. [中吕·快活三过朝天子]
  85. [双调·雁儿落过得胜令]
  86. [中吕·山坡羊过青哥儿]
  87. [双调·楚天遥过清江引]
  88. [中吕·快活三过朝天子四边静]
  89. [南吕·骂玉郎过感皇恩采茶歌]
  90. [中吕·醉高歌过摊破喜春来]
  91. [越调·黄蔷薇过庆元贞]
  92. [双调·雁儿落过得胜令]
  93. [双调·水仙子过折桂令]
  94. 套数
  95. [般涉调·耍孩儿]
  96. [南吕·一枝花]
  97. [南吕·一枝花]
  98. [仙吕·点绛唇]
  99. [正宫·菩萨蛮]
  100. [中吕·粉蝶儿]
  101. [南吕·一枝花]
  102. [南吕·梧桐树南]
  103. [般涉调·哨遍]
  104. [南吕·梁州第七]
  105. [越调·斗鹌鹑]
  106. [正宫·端正好]
  107. [仙吕·点绛唇]
  108. [般涉调·哨遍]
  109. 后记

FAQ

Are the Yuan songs collected in this book complete?
No. As a popular reader, the book mainly selects the most representative authors and widely circulated famous pieces from various periods, aiming to sketch an outline rather than be exhaustive. Yuan sanqu and zaju works are vast, and this book is only a selection.
What is the quality of the annotations and translations?
The annotations are relatively concise, focusing on clarifying the general meaning and explaining key allusions, suitable for beginners. The translations are mostly free renderings, mainly conveying mood and basic content; there may be compromises in academic rigor, but they are sufficient for understanding the text.
Does this book have a Douban rating?
Searches show that the book has low visibility on mainstream book communities (such as Douban) and has not formed an effective rating system. This is consistent with its nature as a popular reader in a specific series; its value depends more on the reader's specific needs (initiation or research).

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About the author

李穆南 Author

Li Munan: publicly available information is limited, and details of his life, such as nationality and dates of birth and death, are not clearly recorded. Nevertheless, the 229 works held in the library indicate a prolific compiler with wide-ranging interests. His works focus mainly on Chinese culture and history, and representative titles include Chinese Martial Arts (Volume Two), The Grand Compendium of Chinese Cultural Knowledge: Science and Military Volume, The Grand Compendium of Chinese Cultural Knowledge: Politics and History Volume, The History of Ancient Chinese Literature, The History of Contemporary Chinese Literature, Poems of Successive Dynasties, and Residential Architecture and Folk Customs (Volume One). The common categories cover culture, popular science, general biography, and history readers, showing that his writing centers on knowledge popularization and cultural dissemination. His subjects span literary history, folk customs, military science, and political history, and are mostly aimed at general readers. Overall, Li Munan's body of work is extensive and emphasizes the systematic organization of traditional Chinese culture and historical knowledge, giving him a certain accumulated presence and influence in the compilation of popular cultural reading materials.

郄智毅 Author

Qie Zhiyi is an author about whom limited public information is available; details such as nationality, dates of birth and death, and an English name have not been clearly recorded. Judging from the 41 works held in the collection, his writing focuses on the history of Chinese literature and the compilation of literary works from successive dynasties. His representative works include histories such as A History of Ancient Chinese Literature, A History of Contemporary Chinese Literature, A History of Minority Literature, and A History of Chinese Folk Literature, showing an overall concern with the development of Chinese literature. He has also compiled anthologies such as Poems of Successive Dynasties, Famous Rhapsodies of Successive Dynasties, and Famous Ci of Successive Dynasties, covering poetry, rhapsody, and ci. His works are generally classified under culture, and are characterized by a combination of literary-historical survey and selection of classic texts, suitable for readers seeking a systematic understanding of Chinese literary tradition and famous works across the ages.

刘金玲 Author

Liu Jinling is an author about whom limited public information is available; all that is currently known is that she has 41 works, commonly classified under culture. Her writings cover a broad range, including general surveys such as The History of Ancient Chinese Literature and The History of Contemporary Chinese Literature, anthologies such as Poems Through the Ages and Ci Through the Ages, and specialized topics including The History of Chinese Folk Literature, The History of Minority Literature, and Myths and Legends. Judging from the existing titles, she tends to combine literary-historical narrative with the compilation of selected works, tracing the development of literature while presenting poetic and mythological texts to readers, balancing scholarly organization with accessible reading. Her works represent a certain accumulation in spreading knowledge of literary history and in organizing materials on folk and minority literature, and are suitable for readers interested in general histories of Chinese literature and traditional culture. Because no reliable information is available about her life, identity, or writing background, no further inferences are made here.

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