Kuan Han-ch'ing

Kuan Han-ch'ing (kwän` hän-chĭng`), c.1240–c.1320, Chinese playwright of the Yüan dynasty. He resided mainly in the capital Ta-tu (Beijing), where he acquired a reputation as a libertine. Of his 63 plays, 21 survive; six are incomplete or fragmentary. Most concern virtuous women who endure grave injustices without complaint, or whose moral integrity and intelligence bolster weak-willed men; three adventurous historical romances also remain.

Bibliography

See translations by H. and G. Yang (1958) and C. Shih (1972).

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Guan Hanqing

 or Kuan Han-ch'ing

(born 1241?, Dadu, China—died 1320?, China) Chinese dramatist. He belonged to a writers' guild that provided plays for performing groups. His plays often dealt with everyday events and sympathetically portrayed women of low social standing. He wrote over 60 plays, 14 of which survive, including Injustice to Dou E, Butterfly Dream, and Saving a Prostitute. Guan is often considered the greatest playwright of the Chinese classical theatre.