Collated Detailed Notes on Guan Hanqing Collection -(Complete Three Volumes)

Author: Guan Hanqing
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2006-10-01
Features: Among the Yuan Dynasty qu (a form of Chinese opera) writers, Guan Hanqing is also one of the most prolific surviving authors. His qu are found in collections such as Thirty Yuan Dynasty Qu, edited by Zhao Qimei of the Ming Dynasty (Paiwang Hall Collated Edition of Ancient and Modern Qu), and his sanqu (a form of lyric poetry) are included in New Collection of Yuefu Yangchunbai, compiled by Yang Chaoying of the Yuan Dynasty, and Taiping Lefu Chao, among others. Guan’s works are complex in terms of versions. Yuan Dynasty printed editions contain numerous errors, variant characters, omissions, and additions, with damaged printing blocks and faded text, making them inconvenient to read. Ming Dynasty manuscripts and printed editions have also been altered, with occasional errors, omissions, additions, and inversions. Therefore, whether it is Yuan printed editions, Ming manuscripts, or Ming printed editions, all require collation. Zhao Qimei of Paiwang Hall collated several of Guan’s qu based on imperial library editions and those collated by Yu Xiaogu, marking the beginning of qu collation. Zheng Zhenduo’s World Library, Lu Jiyue’s Complete Yuan Dynasty Qu, Wang Jili’s Complete Yuan and Ming Qu, Wu Xiaolin’s Guan Hanqing Qu Collection, Su Shusen’s Supplementary Collection of Yuan Qu, Zheng Qian’s Collated Thirty Yuan Dynasty Qu, Peking University’s Guan Hanqing Drama Collection, Xu Qinjun’s New Collated Thirty Yuan Dynasty Qu, Ning Xiyuan’s New Collated Thirty Yuan Dynasty Qu, Wu Guoqin’s Complete Guan Hanqing Collection, Wang Xueqi’s Collated Complete Guan Hanqing Collection, Wang Jisi’s Complete Yuan Dynasty Drama, Zhao Wanli’s Collected Sanqu of Guan Hanqing, and Su Shusen’s Complete Yuan Dynasty Sanqu, among others.
Guan Hanqing is one of the most prolific qu writers of the Yuan Dynasty. This book includes all of his surviving works, comprising twenty-one qu (including three incomplete ones), fifty-seven sanqu xiaoling (short poems), and fourteen qu sets (including two incomplete sets). There is still debate among scholars about whether some works are truly by Guan, and until definitive proof is found, they are still attributed to him for further study. Due to the significant loss of Guan’s works, this book is titled Collection rather than Complete Collection.
The order of the qu follows the Lugubiefu from the Tianyi Pavilion. For works not found in this edition, references were made to the Meng edition, Cao edition, and Tahe Zhengyinpu. Kuxiangnang, Chunshanji, and Mengliang Daogu were moved to the end due to their incomplete nature. The sanqu are initially listed as xiaoling, followed by qu sets, with the tunes and modes arranged according to Beiqushi Guangzhengpu. Incomplete sets are placed at the end.
This book is a collated collection. The earliest available edition serves as the base text, with later editions used as reference texts, supplemented by representative collations and annotations from the Qing and Republican periods. Corrected errors and variant texts from different editions are detailed in the collation notes. The aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of Guan’s works and the general collation process. The base texts, reference texts, and supplementary reference texts for the qu are indicated after the title of each play. For the sanqu, the base text and reference annotations are noted at the end of each piece, with the first listed as the base and the rest as reference texts; the collation notes for Zhao Wanli, Su Shusen, Wu Guoqin, and Wang Xueqi are included without repetition at the end of each piece.