Kunqu (崑曲;, pinyin: Kūnqǔ; Wade-Giles: k'un-ch'ü), also known as Kunju, Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is the oldest extant form of Chinese opera. 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 opera forms, including Peking opera. Its emergence ushered in the second Golden Era of Chinese drama, but by the early twentieth century it nearly disappeared.

One of the major literary forms of the Ming dynasty was drama. Plays that continue to be famous today, including "The Peony Pavilion" and "The Plum Blossom Fan", were originally written for the Kunqu stage.

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

It 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

External links

• UNESCO the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Kunqu Opera
• The Society of Kunqu Arts, Inc.
• What is Kunqu Theatre ?