Literature of the Yuan Dynasty

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Though the Yuan lasted only a period of 97 years，during this period of Mongol rule，there were great developments and evolution in the area of performance art and dramatic literature.

The highest literary achievement made in this period was Yuan Qu，literally drama and melody produced in the Yuan Dynasty，another literary peak in the history of Chinese literature.Yuandrama was the first mature form of Chinese drama and a classical ancestor of today’s Chinese opera.

Several factors contributed to the flourishing of Yuan Qu.On the one hand，Yuan rulers attached more importance to the development of commerce，resulting in the rise of many commercially well-developed cities.Most city-dwellers belonged to the underclass，whose requirement of daily recreation and amusement provided rich soil and ample nutrient for the flourishing of Yuan Qu.On the other hand，there was an interruption of the Imperial Examination for more than 50 years during the Yuan Dynasty，which prevented scholars from becomingmembers of government by taking part in this examination.Many poor scholars were then forced to write something popular among the underclass to make a living.Inspiration from previous narratives for story-telling and singing，together with communication with some folk artists，helped them design a new style suitable for playing.This new style，generally named Yuan Qu by Chinese scholars，gradually gained great popularity and reached what is viewed as its Golden Age.During the Yuan Dynasty，there were nearly 400 recorded Yuan Qu writers and numerous folk actors who performed to make a living.The most famous Yuan Qu writers are Guan Hanqing（1220-1300），Bai Pu（1226-1307），Ma Zhiyuan（1251-1321）and Zheng Guangzu，who are entitled by Chinese scholars as the Four Great Masters of Yuan Qu.Yuan Qu was widely played and sung in city theaters，teahouses，country fairgrounds，temple fairs，and other places.