Kunqu

Branch of Chinese opera Kun Qu operaUNESCO Intangible Cultural HeritageCountryChinaReference4RegionAsia-Pacific regionInscription historyInscription2001 (3rd session)ListRepresentative UNESCO Cultural Heritage KunquTraditional Chinese崑曲Simplified Chinese昆曲Literal meaning"Kunshan Melody"TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinKūnqǔGwoyeu RomatzyhKuencheuWade–GilesK'un1-ch'ü3IPA[kʰwə́n.tɕʰỳ]Yue: CantoneseYale RomanizationKwānkūkJyutpingKwan1 Kuk1IPA[kʷʰɐn˥.kʰʊk̚˥]Southern MinTâi-lôKhun-khik Kunqu (Chinese: 崑曲), also known as Kunju (崑劇), K'un-ch'ü, Kun opera or Kunqu opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from a music style local to Kunshan, part of the Wu cultural area, and later came to dominate Chinese theater from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Wei Liangfu [zh] refined the musical style of kunqu, and it gained widespread popularity when Liang Chenyu used the style in his drama Huansha ji (Washing Silken Gauze). Well-known pieces of Kunqu opera included The Peony Pavilion from the Ming dynasty. The melody or tune of Kunqu is one of the Four Great Characteristic Melodies in Chinese opera. It is known for its