Kunqu

Kunqu (), also known as Kunju (崑劇), K'un-ch'ü, Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from a music style local to Kunshan, part of the Wu cultural area, and later came to dominate Chinese theater from the 16th to the 18th centuries. It has been listed as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Wei Liangfu refined the musical style of kunqu, and it gained widespread popularity when Liang Chenyu used the style in his drama Huansha ji (Washing Silk). In 2006, it was listed on the first national intangible cultural heritage list. In 2008, it was included in the List of Representative Works of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In December 2018, the General Office of the Ministry of Education announced that Peking University is the base for inheriting excellent traditional Chinese culture in Kunqu. Kunqu takes drum and board to control the rhythm of singing, with Qu flute, three strings and so on as the main accompanying instrument; its singing pronunciation is "Zhongzhou Rhyme." Kunqu tunes are believed to have been developed during the Ming Dynasty by Wei Liangfu (魏良輔) from the port of Taicang, but based on the songs of nearby Kunshan. Wei created Kunshan tunes modified from songs of Haiyan (海鹽) near Hangzhou and Yiyang (弋陽) of Jiangxi; he also combined the nanxi rhythms, which often used flute, with the northern zaju, where plucked string instruments are preferred. The created elegant Kunshan tunes are often called "water mill" tunes (水磨調, shuimo diao). The first Kunqu opera, Washing Silken Gauze (浣紗記, Huan Sha Ji) was created by Liang Chenyu (梁辰魚) who was born in Kunshan and used Kunshan tunes throughout the opera. Kunqu is a form of chuanqi, and its emergence is said to have ushered in a "second Golden Era of Chinese drama." The most famous Kunqu opera is The Peony Pavilion written by Tang Xianzu. Other important works include The Peach Blossom Fan, and The Palace of Eternal Life.