Zaju and Yuanqu of the Yuan Dynasty

3 min read

During the Yuan Dynasty the Chinese nobility were not allowed to be involved in government，therefore，they were free to pursue art and literature.Poetry，while being vastlypopular，was not greatly improved upon.The greatest advances in literature were in the forms of theatre and opera.The theatre was a favorite form of entertainment for the emperors and forwealthy families.Educated people began to write librettos for the operas，however they wrote under pseudonyms because playwriting was not an occupation acceptable for scholars.Most of these operas，while their names are known，have been destroyed.

Some people believe that the Mongolians were nomadic people，so apart from military and some political interests theydid little to promote science and technology，let alone as civilization.They were Barbarians who were civilized by the Hans.But it is not absolutely the case.Since the Yuan gathered minorities and even a westerner（Marco Polo）in its court，different ways of life were adopted into the”Central Land”.

Foreign singing，dancing and instruments were brought in.

Dramas became popular during this period of time.Nevertheless，these were all written and performed by the Hans.

The dramas of the Yuan Dynasty are called Yuan Zaju ，the poetic dramas set to music.As a mature and high-class theatrical form，the Yuan Zaju was full of the characteristics of that period，and display unique artistic creations.Hence，they are regarded as the most notable achievement of Yuan literature.At the beginning，the Zaju was centered on Dadu （present-day Beijing，and was later spread widely over northern China.After the South Songfell to the Yuan，the Zaju became a national drama.It quickly flourished，with a large number of plays being written，and the ranks of performers swelling.

The prosperity of the Yuan Zaju reflected developments in the arts and society as a whole.Regarding the development of the arts，influences in Chinese theater which had been slowly maturing for many years in both its internal structure and external expression suddenly flowered in the Yuan Dynasty.

This was a period in which，paradoxically，traditional poetry was in decline，after flourishing so brilliantly in the Tang and Song dynasties.In the eyes of leading artists，the artistic and literary salon of the drama was a piece of virgin soil waiting to be cultivated.

In the social sphere，the Yuan rulers abolished the Imperial Examination System，lowering the status of intellectuals to a position only a little higher than that of beggars.Such scholars found an outlet for their talents as professional playwrights.They set up an organization called the”Scholars Association，”which was one of the cradles of playwriting，giving rise to the Yuan golden age of Chinese theater in contrast to lyric poetry，which mainly expressed the subjective feelings of the poets，the Yuan Zaju gave wide publicity to social problems.This was because the playwrights themselves lived among the people，and knew all about real life and the tribulations of the ordinary people.

In addition，the Yuan Zaju mainly consisted of a prelude and the main story，composed of four acts，which were wellcoordinated.The prelude was fairly short.Singing was the most important means of expression in the Yuan Zaju，in combination with recitation.The tunes were moving and the words were beautiful.As a result，another form of literature，the”Twin Sister”of Zaju was born and grew up at the same time.So The Dynasty is also famous for Yuanqu.