Top Ten Ancient Chinese Comedic Legends

Author: Qi Ci Tong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: To provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of the outstanding representative works of ancient Chinese drama literature and to offer a general grasp of the plots and characters in the plays, we have chosen the "Collected Ten Classical Tragedies of China" and "Collected Ten Classical Comedies of China" edited by Mr. Wang Ji Si and others as the basis to write twenty legendary novels named after the original plays.
Ancient Chinese drama is a rare gem in the garden of classical Chinese literary arts. It not only captivates both ancient and modern audiences and readers with its profound thoughts, extensive content, complex themes, and enigmatic plot structures but also stands as a treasure in the treasury of Chinese literary arts due to its elegant wording, refined rhythms, and exquisite musical melodies. Since the Yuan Dynasty, when dramatic scripts were first published, dramatic literature has taken bold strides in the field of Chinese literature, shining with its unique form and brilliant splendor, leaving a glorious legacy for generations.
Unfortunately, due to the passage of time and the obscurity of ancient scripts and methods, ancient opera scripts have posed significant reading difficulties for contemporary readers, making this part of literary art accessible only to a few, leaving most readers to shun them. Moreover, the abundance of sung lyrics in Chinese drama, with their strictly regulated poetic and musical formats, not only increases the challenge of reading but also disrupts the coherence of the plot to some extent, directly affecting readers' interest in the stories.
To provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of the outstanding representative works of ancient Chinese drama literature and to offer a general grasp of the plots and characters in the plays, we have chosen the "Collected Ten Classical Tragedies of China" and "Collected Ten Classical Comedies of China" edited by Mr. Wang Ji Si and others as the basis to write twenty legendary novels named after the original plays.