A General Survey of Song-Poetry (Sanqu) of Yuan China (1260-1368) - (Brill's Humanities in China Library) by Yishan Zhao (Paperback)

About the Book

A seminal Chinese-language monograph on the study of song-poetry (sanqu), recognising as "a masterpiece in the study on the dynastic history of the song-poetry in the 20th century", focusing on the fundamental theories, composition and historical evolution of sanqu in Yuan China (1260-1368).

Book Synopsis

This book provides a survey of Yuan sanqu, with its principal sections focusing on fundamental theories, compositional features, and historical evolution. Its treatment of qu criticism and bibliography offers a comprehensive perspective on the defining characteristics of sanqu. Serving both as a general overview of sanqu and a foundation for future research, this publication explores this unique yet historically marginalized genre of song-poetry. It generates new insights through textual analysis and the nuanced discussion of dualistic concepts, such as the interplay between literature and music, the Song and Yuan dynasties, and the relationship between ci-lyrics and song-poetry.

About the Author

Zhao Yishan, Ph.D. (2004), Sichuan University, is an emeritus professor of Chinese literature at Sichuan Normal University. He has published monographs and articles on traditional Chinese qu studies and song-poetry (sanqu) of late imperial China, including A General Survey of Song-Poetry of Yuan China (Bashu, 1993; rev. Shanghai guji, 2004/2023), A History of Song-Poetry of Ming-Qing China (Renmin, 2007).

Zhou Rui, Ph.D. (2007), Sichuan University, is an associate professor of Chinese literature and a Sinological translator at Southwest University, China. He has published monographs and many articles on pre-modern Chinese literature and Sinological studies, his translated works including Tian Yuan Tan's Songs of Contentment and Transgression (2021), Grace S. Fong's Herself an Author (2024), Song Geng's The Fragile Scholar (2024), and Yugen Wang's Writing Poetry, Surviving War (2024).