Complete Yuan Qu 136

Feng Xueli / 薛鸿鹏The Commercial Press · ChinaDec 2020

3.7

Word count: 9.2K words
Chapters: 7

Summary

The Complete Yuan Qu is a newly emerged literary genre, generally divided into zaju drama and sanqu songs. It produced great writers and many fine works, with 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 style and include xiaoling (short lyrics) and taoshu (song suites). More than 3,800 xiaoling and over 450 taoshu survive today. There are more than 241 named authors, among them Guan Hanqing, Ma Zhiyuan, and Bai Pu in the early period, and Qiao Ji, Zhang Kejiu, Sui Jingchen, Zhang Yanghao, and Liu Shizhong in the later period. Because sanqu was often used as song lyrics for entertainers at banquets, erotic pieces are numerous, but there are also many xiaoling on scenery, lyric expression, and reminiscence of the past, as well as taoshu satirizing worldly ways and criticizing contemporary abuses; famous examples include Ma Zhiyuan's "Borrowing a Horse," Liu Shizhong's "To Senior Inspector Gao," and Sui Jingchen's "The Return of the Ancestor." Yuan zaju originally circulated in Shanxi and Hebei; in the early Yuan it spread to

Editor's review

This volume is one part of the large-scale documentary compilation The Complete Yuan Qu, reproduced or edited from the original edition published by the Commercial Press in the Republican period, and thus has a dual significance for the preservation of editions and for documentary reference. Yuan qu as a genre includes zaju and sanqu, and sanqu is further divided into xiaoling and taoshu; its subjects cover scenery, lyric expression, reminiscence of the past, and satires on worldly ways and contemporary abuses. Famous pieces such as Ma Zhiyuan's "Borrowing a Horse," Liu Shizhong's "To Senior Inspector Gao," and Sui Jingchen's "The Return of the Ancestor" are all included. The works collected in this volume allow readers to experience the linguistic vitality of Yuan qu as it grew out of popular ballads and folk tunes, and to see the creative styles of early writers such as Guan Hanqing, Ma Zhiyuan, and Bai Pu and of later writers such as Zhang Kejiu, Zhang Yanghao, and Liu Shizhong. For readers studying Yuan literature, language, and folklore, this volume can serve as material for reference and close reading; for general literary enthusiasts, it is suitable for selective reading by author or theme rather than for reading straight through. Note that the reproduced original edition may contain faded or indistinct characters and variant forms, so it should be read alongside a collated and annotated edition.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and graduate students studying Yuan literature and drama, for edition comparison and work retrieval
University students in classical literature courses, reading representative sanqu and zaju alongside textbooks
Enthusiasts of classical poetry, lyrics, and songs who wish to read Yuan qu by author
Libraries and documentary compilation institutions, as a collection of reproduced Republican-period original editions

Not a good fit for

Beginning readers new to Yuan qu who need character-by-character annotation and vernacular translation
Readers who want the complete Complete Yuan Qu but are buying only a single volume
Readers who have difficulty recognizing reproduced traditional characters and prefer modern typesetting

Reading tips

Begin with the table of contents, choose pieces by familiar authors such as Guan Hanqing, Ma Zhiyuan, and Zhang Yanghao, then expand gradually.
When encountering variant or indistinct characters, check against modern collated editions and authoritative dictionaries rather than guessing.
Read sanqu xiaoling and taoshu separately, and note how the same subject is expressed differently in different forms.
When reading works that satirize contemporary abuses, consult background material on Yuan society to avoid interpreting them out of context.

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
沙门岛张生煮海
第一折
第二折
第三折
第四折
张国宾

FAQ

Does this volume contain complete Yuan zaju works?

According to the materials, Yuan qu includes zaju and sanqu, and this is one volume of The Complete Yuan Qu; the specific contents should be confirmed against this volume's table of contents. Readers should not assume that a single volume contains all zaju; check the table of contents first to confirm the scope, then decide whether to use other volumes alongside it.

Is the original Commercial Press edition from the Republican period difficult to read?

The original edition is mostly in traditional characters and may contain variant forms and indistinct characters, posing a challenge for readers unfamiliar with old-style typesetting. It is advisable to read it alongside modern collated and annotated editions, dictionaries, and other reference works, starting with clearly printed pieces and adapting gradually.

Sanqu contains many erotic pieces; is it suitable for general readers?

The materials note that sanqu was often used as lyrics for entertainers at banquets and that erotic pieces are numerous, but there are also xiaoling on scenery, lyric expression, and reminiscence of the past, and taoshu satirizing worldly ways. General readers can read selectively by theme, prioritizing scenic, nostalgic, and satirical works, and need not reject the whole volume because of some erotic pieces.

Can buying only this volume give me a full picture of Yuan qu?

The Complete Yuan Qu is a large multi-volume anthology, and a single volume covers only some authors and works. To understand Yuan qu as a whole, use the complete set or combine it with other anthologies and literary history textbooks; this volume is better suited to close reading of selected works and edition reference.

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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.