Kunqu

Kunqu , also known as Kunju, Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from the Kunshan melody, and dominated Chinese theatre from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

History

Kunqu boasts a 600-year history and is known as the "teacher" or "mother" of a hundred operas, because of its influence on other Chinese theatre forms, including Jingju. Its emergence ushered in the second Golden Era of Chinese drama, but by the early twentieth century it had nearly disappeared, exacerbated by deliberate attempts to suppress it during the Cultural Revolution.

One of the major literary forms of the and dynasties was chuanqi drama, originating from the South. Plays that continue to be famous today, including ''The Peony Pavilion'' and ''The Peach Blossom Fan'', were originally written for the Kunqu stage. In addition, many classical Chinese novels and stories, such as ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', ''Water Margin'' and ''Journey to the West'' were adapted very early into dramatic pieces.

Today, Kunqu is performed professionally in seven Mainland Chinese cities: Beijing , Shanghai , Suzhou , Nanjing , Chenzhou , Yongjia County/Wenzhou and Hangzhou , as well as in Taipei. Non-professional opera societies are active in many other cities in China and abroad, and opera companies occasionally tour.

Kunqu was listed as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001. Its melody or tune is one of the Four Great Characteristic Melodies in Chinese opera.

Repertoire

*''The Peony Pavilion''
*''The Peach Blossom Fan''
*''The Palace of Long Life''
*''''
*''The Western Mansion''
*''The Injustice done to Dou E''
*''''

Dramatists

*Tang Xianzu
*Kong Shangren
*
*Hong Sheng
*Feng Menglong

Performers

*Yu Zhenfei
*Mei Lanfang
*Zhang Jiqing
*Wang Shiyu
*Yue Meiti
*Liang Guyin
*Cai Zhengren
*Ji Zhenhua
*Jennifer Hua Wenyi
*Qian Yi