Guan Hanqing
Encyclopedia
Guan Hanqing (c. 1225-1302), sobriquet "the Oldman of the Studio" (齋叟 Zhāisǒu), was a notable Chinese playwright and poet in the Yuan Dynasty
.
of the Yuan Dynasty
, Dadu
and produced about 65 plays, mostly in the vernacular of the time. He has been considered as one of the Four Great Yuan Playwrights, the other three being Ma Zhiyuan
, Bai Renfu, and Zheng Guangzu. Fourteen of his plays are extant, including:
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
.
Biography
Guan was born in the capital cityCapital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of the Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
, Dadu
Khanbaliq
Khanbaliq or Dadu refers to a city which is now Beijing, the current capital of the People's Republic of China...
and produced about 65 plays, mostly in the vernacular of the time. He has been considered as one of the Four Great Yuan Playwrights, the other three being Ma Zhiyuan
Ma Zhiyuan
Ma Zhiyuan , courtesy name Dongli , was a Chinese poet and celebrated playwright, a native of Dadu during the Yuan Dynasty.Among his achievements is the development and popularizing of the new sanqu lyric form of poetry...
, Bai Renfu, and Zheng Guangzu. Fourteen of his plays are extant, including:
- The Injustice to Dou EThe Injustice to Dou EThe Injustice to Dou E , also known as Snow in Midsummer is a Chinese drama by Guan Hanqing during the Yuan Dynasty. This is one of Guan's most popular works, even in modern times....
a.k.a. Snow in Midsummer (感天動地竇娥冤 Gǎn Tiān Dòng Dì Dòu É Yuān) - Saving the Dusty-windy a.k.a. Saving the Prostitute a.k.a. Rescued by a Coquette (趙盼兒風月救風塵 Zhào Pàn Ér Fēng Yuè Jiù Fēng Chén)
- The Conference of a Single DaoDao (sword)Daois a category of single-edge Chinese swords primarily used for slashing and chopping , often called a broadsword in English translation because some varieties have wide blades. In China, the dao is known as one of the four major weapons, along with the gun , qiang , and the jian , and referred...
a.k.a. Meeting the Enemies Alone a.k.a. Lord Guan Goes to the Feast (關大王獨赴單刀會 Guān Dà Wáng Dú Fù Dān Dāo Huì) - The Pavilion of Moon-Worship (閨怨佳人拜月亭 Guī Yuàn Jiā Rén Bài Yuè Tíng)
- The Butterfly Dream (包待制三勘蝴蝶夢 Bāo Dài Zhì Sān Kān Hú Dié Mèng)
- The Wife-Snatcher (包待制智斬魯齋郎 Bāo Dài Zhì Zhì Zhǎn Lǔ Zhāi Láng)
- The Riverside Pavilion (望江亭中秋切膾旦 Wàng Jiāng Tíng Zhōng Qiū Qiē Kuài Dàn)
- The Jade Mirror-Stand (溫太真玉鏡臺 Wēn Tài Zhēn Yù Jìng Tái)
- Death of the Winged-Tiger General (鄧夫人苦痛哭存孝 Dèng Fū Rén Kǔ Tòng Kū Cún Xiào)
Further reading
- 关汉卿杂剧选 Selected Plays of Guan Hanqing (Library of Chinese Classics) (2004). Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. ISBN 7-119-03395-6.