Welcome to Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art,

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art ›› 2017, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (4): 110-118.

• Issue in Focus: Studies of Ancient Chinese Music and Poetry • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Desktop Drama and Stage Drama: Technical Problems of Traditional Chinese Drama in the Mid-Ming Dynasty and Shen Jing's Contribution

Zhu Wanshu, Zhu Wen   

  1. the School of Liberal Arts, Renmin University of China
  • Online:2017-09-25 Published:2017-11-26
  • About author:Zhu Wanshu, Ph.D., is a professor at the School of Liberal Arts, Renmin University of China, with research interest in the study of Ming and Qing literature, as well as ancient Chinese theatre. Zhu Wen is a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Humanities, Tsinghua University, with research interest in Ming and Qing literature.

Abstract: When it comes to Shen Jing's idea of poetic drama writing, scholars used to confine themselves to his controversy with Tang Xianzu, instead of paying sufficient attention to and making objective evaluation of Shen Jing's other ideas. This article argues that though many literati since the mid-Ming Dynasty were active in the creation of xiqu works, the scripts they created were very difficult to be staged and sung, because there were no rules of creation to be followed. They were neither unsuitable for kunju emerged in the Wuzhong area of Suzhou. Therefore, literati were faced with "technical problems" during their creation. To solve such problems, Shen Jing put forward the theoretical proposition that xiqu writers should be proficient in rhythm, and he made paradigmatic demonstrations by compiling various works on poetic drama writing such as The Complete Collection of Tunes of the Southern Drama. Shen Jing won undivided admiration from many drama creators, and made significant contributions in this respect.

Key words: Shen Jing, technical problems, contribution to traditional drama