Ma Zhiyuan Volume - Trapped by the Central Plains, a Commoner - An Anthology of Masterpieces by Yuan Dynasty Qu Opera Artists

Author: Li Deshen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: Ma Zhiyuan was an early Yuan Dynasty master of sanqu, renowned and self-established in his style. He composed 131 pieces of sanqu (including 115 xiaoling and 16 quanshu), with an additional seven incomplete quanshu, surpassing the total number of sanqu written by Guan Hanqing, Bai Pu, Wang Shifu, and Zheng Guangzu. His works cover a wide range of themes, with lofty artistic conception, bold style, vivid imagery, concise language, harmonious rhyme, and are hailed as the "Master of Qu." His xiaoling [Yue Diao · Tian Jing Sha] and quanshu [Shuang Diao · Ye Xing Chuan · Qiu Si] are typical representatives of his artistic style, celebrated as the "Forefather of Autumn Thoughts" and considered unparalleled masterpieces among qu. His status in Yuan Dynasty sanqu is akin to that of Li Bai and Du Fu in Tang poetry or Su Shi and Xin Qiji in Song ci. He wrote fifteen zaju during his lifetime, seven of which survive, with the historically acclaimed tragic zaju Han Gong Qiu being the most famous.
The compiler, Professor Li Deshen, is a seasoned expert in Yuan Dynasty qu. This book includes all of Ma Zhiyuan's sanqu, as well as four acts of his zaju Han Gong Qiu, one act each of Yangzhou Lou, Huangliang Meng, Qingshan Lei, Jianfu Bei, Chen Tuan Gao Wo, and Ren Feng Zi. Coupled with his meticulously crafted annotations and critiques, this book can be considered the only comprehensive and thoroughly annotated collection of Ma Zhiyuan's works available in China.
Ma Zhiyuan (c. 1250–c. 1323), known by his courtesy name, with his given name unknown, later styled Dongli, was from Dadu (modern-day Beijing). In his youth, he pursued official status, offering poems to the "Dragon Pavilion" and traveling in "Yan and Zhao," yet he never achieved a official position. During this time, he began associating with performers in Dadu, engaging in zaju and sanqu composition. In middle age, he moved south to Hangzhou, serving as an official in the Jiangzhe Provincial Administration, and later traveled to Yu Zhang (modern-day Nanchang) and the Dongting Lake region, spending a "twenty-year period of wandering." During the Yuanzhen and Dade reigns, he joined the "Yuanzhen Book Club," producing numerous works. In his later years, he retired to seclusion, claiming to "break free from the red dust of the world" while indulging in poetry, wine, and self-entertainment. Simultaneously, he lamented, "Outside the hollow cliffs, the noble timber has aged," seeking solace in Taoism. His works reflect the shared circumstances and mindset of Han scholars during the later Mongol era and the early Yuan Dynasty. His zaju were highly celebrated, earning him the title "Master of Qu," and he was ranked alongside Guan Hanqing, Bai Pu, Wang Shifu (or Zheng Guangzu) as one of the "Four Great Masters of Yuan Drama." His sanqu, characterized by natural and refined language, blend "elegant and graceful" with "bold and vigorous" style, expansive artistic conception, making him a outstanding representative of the unrestrained qu school and hailed as the "Yuan Dynasty Master of Qu."
The collected works in this book provide a comprehensive display of Yuan Dynasty qu, with each piece accompanied by accessible and easy-to-understand critiques, making them particularly appealing to young readers.