A tile depicting an actor, from the Jin or Yuan period. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Yuanben (Chinese: 院本; pinyin: Yuànběn) was an early form of Chinese opera which thrived in northern China during the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) and early Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). Unlike the contemporary nanxi, which flourished in East China, no yuanben play has survived.[1] Nevertheless, 691 yuanben titles are listed in a 1366 book by Tao Zongyi.[2] Yuanben might have been very similar to the zaju in the Song dynasty which controlled southern China, and it eventually evolved into the zaju of the Yuan dynasty.[3]

Role types

There were five role types in yuanben, namely:[4]

References

  1. ^ Jin, p. 21.
  2. ^ Mackerras, p. 22–23.
  3. ^ Kuzay, Stefan (2018). "A Concise History of Theatre in Imperial China". Asian Traditional Theatre and Dance. Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki. ISBN 978-952-7218-23-5.
  4. ^ Mackerras, p. 20.
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