Complete Yuan Qu 129

Feng Xueli / 薛鸿鹏The Commercial Press · ChinaJan 2021

3.7

Word count: 24K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

The Complete Yuan Qu is a newly emerged literary genre, generally divided into zaju and sanqu. It produced great writers and many outstanding works and has had a profound influence on literary history. Sanqu grew out of the popular ballads and folk songs of the Jin dynasty; the great majority belong to the northern style and include xiaoling and taoshu. More than 3,800 xiaoling and over 450 taoshu survive today. There are more than 233 authors with known names, among them, in the early period, Guan Hanqing, Ma Zhiyuan and Bai Pu, and in the later period, Qiao Ji, Zhang Kejiu, Sui Jingchen, Zhang Yanghao and Liu Shizhong. Because sanqu were often used as songs for entertainers at banquets, many are romantic pieces, but there are also xiaoling on scenery, lyric expression and nostalgia for the past, and taoshu satirizing worldly ways and criticizing current abuses; famous examples include Ma Zhiyuan's 'Borrowing a Horse', Liu Shizhong's 'To High Commissioner Gao' and Sui Jingchen's 'The Emperor Gaozu Returns to His Hometown'. Yuan zaju originally circulated in the Shanxi and Hebei region, and in the early Yuan period spread

Editor's review

This volume is the 129th of the large-scale collated edition of The Complete Yuan Qu, reproduced or collated from the original edition published by the Commercial Press in the Republican period, and is suitable for use as a basic source for research on Yuan qu. Yuan sanqu and zaju flourished together; more than 3,800 xiaoling and over 450 taoshu survive, with more than 230 identifiable authors. Early masters such as Guan Hanqing, Ma Zhiyuan and Bai Pu, together with later figures such as Zhang Kejiu, Sui Jingchen and Zhang Yanghao, jointly make up the rich landscape of Yuan qu. As one volume of the whole set, its value lies not in reading it straight through but in providing a reliable textual basis and reference for editions, making it easy for readers to look up and collate by volume. When reading, one should follow the arrangement of the whole set: first understand the scope of this volume, then read it alongside works by the same author or on the same theme. For readers studying Yuan popular literature, linguistic change and the history of drama, this set is a ready desk reference; general readers are advised to begin with an anthology and then return to this volume for verification.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Yuan qu researchers who need to consult original texts and edition information volume by volume
Students of classical Chinese literature using it to check course assignments and paper materials
Enthusiasts of drama history who wish to understand the original textual appearance of sanqu and zaju
Libraries and reference rooms using it as a reference tool for Yuan qu documents

Not a good fit for

General readers hoping for an easy introduction to Yuan qu, for whom a single volume is not convenient for continuous reading
Readers who prefer modern annotations and vernacular translations, for whom the threshold of use is relatively high
Readers who only want to read famous selected passages, for whom an anthology is more suitable

Reading tips

First check the table of contents and arrangement of the whole set, confirm the scope of this volume, and then read piece by piece
Read works by the same author alongside other volumes of The Complete Yuan Qu to observe changes in style
When encountering an unfamiliar qupai, first consult a reference work, then return to the original text to understand its meaning
When taking notes, record the volume number and page number for easy citation later

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
洞庭湖柳毅传书
楔子
第一折
第二折
第三折
第四折
汉高皇濯足气英布
第一折
第二折
第三折
第四折

FAQ

Is this volume suitable for reading from beginning to end?

Not very suitable. A large general collection is arranged by volume, and a single volume has a defined scope; reading it straight through easily loses the thread. It is advisable first to look at the table of contents and the notes on arrangement, identify authors or qupai of interest, then read in a targeted way and use it together with other volumes of the whole set.

Can readers with no foundation in Yuan qu understand it?

There will be some difficulty. This book preserves the original textual appearance, with limited annotations and explanations; the colloquial expressions, qupai and allusions in sanqu require some background knowledge. Readers starting from zero may first read annotated anthologies of Yuan qu, become familiar with representative authors and forms, and then use this volume to verify original texts.

How are sanqu and zaju distinguished in this set?

Sanqu includes xiaoling and taoshu and was mostly used for unaccompanied singing; zaju is a dramatic form with role characters, stage directions and dialogue, and linked qupai suites. This set includes both categories; when reading, first look at the title and the arrangement labels, then determine the category, so as to avoid mistaking a taoshu for a fragment of zaju.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

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.