''Yuanben'' () was an early form of

Chinese opera Traditional Chinese opera (), or ''Xiqu'', is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more tha ...

which thrived in northern China during the

Jin dynasty (1115–1234) The Jin dynasty (, ), officially known as the Great Jin (), was a Jurchen people, Jurchen-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and empire ruled by the Wanyan clan that existed between 1115 and 1234. It is also often called the ...

and early

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

(1271–1368). Unlike the contemporary '' nanxi'', which flourished in

East China East China () is a geographical region in the People’s Republic of China, mainly consisting of seven province-level administrative divisions, namely the provinces (from north to south) Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, ...

, no ''yuanben'' play has survived. Nevertheless, 691 ''yuanben'' titles are listed in a 1366 book by

Tao Zongyi The Tao or Dao is the natural way of the universe, primarily as conceived in East Asian philosophy and religion. This seeing of life cannot be grasped as a concept. Rather, it is seen through actual living experience of one's everyday being. T ...

. ''Yuanben'' might have been very similar to the ''

zaju ''Zaju'' was a form of Chinese opera which provided entertainment through a synthesis of recitations of prose and poetry, dance, singing, and mime, with a certain emphasis on comedy (or, happy endings). Although with diverse and earlier roots, ''z ...

'' in the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

which controlled southern China, and it eventually evolved into the ''zaju'' of the Yuan dynasty.

Role types

There were five role types in ''yuanben'', namely:Mackerras, p. 20. *''Fujing'' (), derived from the ''canjun'' role type in ''

canjunxi ''Canjunxi'' () or ''nongcanjun'' was a popular form of Chinese performing art during the Tang (618–907), Five Dynasties (907–960), and Song (960–1279) periods. Initially a comedy duet, ''canjunxi'' became more complex and by the late Tang ...

'', a clown *''Fumo'' (), derived from the ''canghu'' role type in ''canjunxi'', a jester *''Yinxi'' (), a playleader *''Moni'' (), an actor-director *''Guzhuang'' (), the "mandarin" role

References

* * {{Chinese opera Jin dynasty (1115–1234) Chinese opera