Collation and Detailed Notes on Guan Hanqing Collection (Complete 3 Volumes)

Author: Guan Hanqing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: Among the Yuan Dynasty qu (a form of Chinese opera) writers, Guan Hanqing is one of the most prolific surviving authors. His qu are found in collections such as Thirty Yuan Dynasty Qu, compiled 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 and Taiping Lefu Chaoye Xinsheng, compiled by Yang Chaoying of the Yuan Dynasty. Guan’s works have complex 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 errors, omissions, additions, and inversions occasionally appearing. Therefore, both Yuan printed editions and Ming manuscripts and printed editions require collation. Zhao Qimei of Paiwang Hall collated several of Guan’s qu based on imperial library editions and Yu Xiaogu’s collations, marking the beginning of qu collation. Zheng Zhenduo’s World Library, Lu Jiyue’s Complete Yuan Dynasty Qu, Wang Jili’s Complete Rare Yuan and Ming Qu, Wu Xiaolin et al.’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 Works, Wang Xueqi et al.’s Collated and Annotated Complete Guan Hanqing Works, Wang Jisi’s Complete Yuan Dynasty Drama, and Zhao Wanli’s Collected Sanqu of Guan Hanqing, as well as Su Shusen’s Complete Yuan Dynasty Sanqu, are among the references used. 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 fragments), fifty-seven sanqu xiaoling (short songs), and fourteen qu sets (including two fragments). There is still debate among scholars about whether certain works are truly by Guan, and until definitive evidence is found, they remain attributed to him for further study. Due to the significant loss of Guan’s works, the book is titled Collected Works rather than Complete Works.
The order of the qu follows the Record of Ghosts from the Tianyi Pavilion. For works not found in this edition, references were made to Meng’s Record of Ghosts, Cao’s Record of Ghosts, and the Tahuo Zhengyin Pu. Kuixiangnang, Chunshanji, and Mengliang Daogu were moved to the end due to their fragmented nature. The sanqu are initially listed as xiaoling, followed by qu sets, with the tunes and modes arranged according to Beiqi Guangzheng Pu. Fragments are placed at the end.
This book is a collated collection. The earliest available editions serve as the base, with later editions used as reference texts. It also incorporates representative collations and annotations from the Qing and Republican periods. Corrected errors and detailed variant readings are included in the collation notes. The aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of Guan’s works and a detailed overview of their collation. The base, reference, and supplementary editions used for the qu are indicated after the title of each play. For the sanqu, the base and reference notes are provided at the end of each piece, with the first listed as the base and the others as reference editions. Zhao Wanli’s, Su Shusen’s, Wu Guoqin’s, and Wang Xueqi’s editions are used as supplementary references, with notes omitted at the end of each piece.