Complete Yuan Qu 112

Feng Xueli / 薛鸿鹏The Commercial Press · ChinaDec 2020

3.4

Word count: 20K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

Quanyuanqu (The Complete Yuan Qu) is a newly emerging literary form, generally divided into zaju (variety drama) and sanqu (lyric songs). It produced great writers and many outstanding works, exerting a profound influence on literary history. Sanqu grew out of the popular ballads and folk tunes of the Jin dynasty; the vast majority belong to the northern qu tradition, including xiaoling (short songs) and taoshu (song suites). More than 3,800 xiaoling and over 450 taoshu survive today. There are more than 215 authors with known names, among them, in the early period, Guan Hanqing, Ma Zhiyuan, and Bai Pu; in the later period, Qiao Ji, Zhang Kejiu, Sui Jingchen, Zhang Yanghao, and Liu Shizhong. Because sanqu was often used as song lyrics for performers at banquets, romantic pieces are numerous, but there is no lack of xiaoling on scenery, lyric expression, and nostalgia for antiquity, nor of taoshu satirizing worldly manners and criticizing contemporary abuses. Famous examples include Ma Zhiyuan's "Borrowing a Horse," Liu Shizhong's "To High Commissioner Gao," and Sui Jingchen's "The Emperor Returns to His Home Village." Yuan zaju originally circulated in the Shanxi and Hebei regions; in the early Yuan it spread

Editor's review

This volume is one installment of the large-scale documentary compilation project Quanyuanqu (The Complete Yuan Qu). It is reproduced from the original edition published by the Commercial Press in the Republican period or reissued in a collated edition, and thus carries dual significance for textual bibliography and literary-historical source materials. Yuan qu, a literature of an era comparable to Tang poetry and Song ci, divides into two branches, zaju and sanqu: sanqu originated from the popular ballads and folk tunes of the Jin dynasty and consists mainly of northern qu, including xiaoling and taoshu. More than 3,800 xiaoling and over 400 taoshu survive today, with more than 210 identifiable authors. In the early period, Guan Hanqing, Ma Zhiyuan, and Bai Pu; in the later period, Qiao Ji, Zhang Kejiu, Sui Jingchen, Zhang Yanghao, and Liu Shizhong form a clear line of development. The works collected in this volume encompass both banquet romantic songs and pieces on scenery, lyric expression, and nostalgic or satirical themes. Famous works such as Ma Zhiyuan's "Borrowing a Horse," Liu Shizhong's "To High Commissioner Gao," and Sui Jingchen's "The Emperor Returns to His Home Village" especially reveal the direct engagement with reality and the witty, biting tone that underlie Yuan qu. This is a desk reference suitable for specialized study of Yuan qu and for textual comparison, and it also allows readers to follow the two threads of qupai (tune titles) and authors to appreciate the linguistic tension and worldly concerns of northern qu. When reading, it is best to consult annotations and musical scores in order to savor the beauty of its prosody.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students majoring in classical Chinese literature who need to study Yuan sanqu texts systematically
Enthusiasts of classical drama who want to understand the generic distinction between zaju and sanqu
Textual scholars interested in the appearance of the original Commercial Press edition from the Republican period
University teachers preparing selections of Yuan qu for lectures and classroom materials

Not a good fit for

General readers seeking light storytelling, for whom the lyrics and allusions present a high threshold
Beginners who only need a popular anthology of famous Yuan qu pieces, for whom this volume is rather bulky
Readers unfamiliar with traditional characters or old-style typesetting, for whom reading is laborious

Reading tips

Begin with representative works by famous authors such as Guan Hanqing, Ma Zhiyuan, and Sui Jingchen to form an intuitive impression of the style of Yuan qu.
Read through by genre, xiaoling and taoshu separately, noting how the same qupai changes in the hands of different writers.
Keep a pen at hand to record qupai names and the sources of allusions as you read, building your own index.
Read alongside an anthology of Yuan zaju to understand the complementary relationship between the lyric expression of sanqu and the narrative of zaju.

About the publisher

The Commercial Press China · Founded in 1897

"Republic-era Commercial Press Original Editions" refers to original books printed by The Commercial Press during the Republican period, not a separate publishing house. Judging from the 300 titles held in the collection, its publishing focus centers on classical poetry and lyrics, literary appreciation, classic works, military texts, prose and miscellaneous writings, and Eastern philosophy. Representative titles include Wang Guowei's Renjian Cihua, Zhong Rong's Shipin, the lyric collections of Xin Qiji and Liu Yong, Sun Wu's The Art of War, and Lü Buwei's Xianshi Lan. Its author resources are mainly classical writers, together with modern scholars such as Li Jingbang and Guo Huaruo, whose collations and annotations are also represented, giving the list a character centered on original texts while attending to annotation and appreciation. Public information on the precise Republican-era catalog and printings is limited; this overview is based only on the titles held in the collection.

版权信息
江州司马青衫泪
第一折
契子
第二折
第三折
第四折
西华山陈抟高卧
第一折
第二折
第三折
第四折

FAQ

What is the difference between sanqu and zaju in Yuan qu?

Sanqu consists of unaccompanied song lyrics, divided into xiaoling and taoshu, and focuses on lyric expression and scenery; zaju is a dramatic form with role-playing, dialogue and stage directions, and plot. Both use the same northern qu tune titles, but their structure and purpose differ. This volume mainly presents sanqu.

Can I read this volume directly without any background in Yuan qu?

You can try, but it is advisable to begin with xiaoling by famous authors such as Ma Zhiyuan and Zhang Yanghao, which are short and vivid in imagery, before gradually moving on to taoshu and lesser-known writers. Look up allusions in reference works as needed; do not feel obliged to understand everything at once.

Why are there so many romantic pieces in the book?

Sanqu was often used for performance by singing girls at banquets, so its subjects naturally leaned toward romance and everyday urban life; this was determined by the function of the genre. But the same period also produced many works on scenery, nostalgia for antiquity, and social satire, and readers should take both sides into account.

Is this volume suitable for citation in academic papers?

It can serve as textual evidence, but you should note that it is based on a reissue of the original Commercial Press edition from the Republican period, and verify the specific pieces and page numbers. Where authorship attribution or textual variants are involved, it is advisable to collate against other collated editions.

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About the author

Feng Xueli Author

Feng Xueli is an editor engaged in the collation of ancient Chinese texts; public information about him is limited, and no authoritative record of his life, native place, dates of birth and death has been found. According to available records, in 1999 he edited the combined "Complete Tang Poems," "Complete Song Ci," and "Complete Yuan Qu," published by Inner Mongolia Cultural Press in sixteen volumes. He also co-edited "Complete Tang Poems" and "Complete Yuan Qu" with Xue Hongpeng. Fifty-six of his works are held in the collection, mainly individual volumes of the "Complete Yuan Qu" series, such as volumes 142 through 149. Classified under ancient poetry, these works reflect his focus on compiling and collating classical verse—Tang poems, Song ci, and Yuan qu—providing readers with a relatively systematic body of texts for studying ancient Chinese poetry and song.

薛鸿鹏 Author

Xue Hongpeng is an author for whom public information is currently limited; details such as nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly recorded. According to Chinese book databases, 55 works appear under this name, mainly in the category of classical poetry, with representative titles being volumes 142 to 149 of the Complete Yuan Qu series. These works center on the compilation and presentation of Yuan dynasty sanqu and zaju texts, systematically assembling Yuan qu literature so that readers can consult material from this period in a concentrated way. The editing style tends toward documentary organization, emphasizing textual completeness and orderly arrangement, and serves the reading and research needs of enthusiasts of classical poetry and qu studies. Owing to the lack of biographical detail, little more can be said about the author's scholarly background.