Yuanben

A tile depicting an actor, from the Jin or Yuan period. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Yuanben (Chinese: 院本; pinyin: Yuànběn) was an early form of Chinese opera which thrived in northern China during the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) and early Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). Unlike the contemporary nanxi, which flourished in East China, no yuanben play has survived.^[1] Nevertheless, 691 yuanben titles are listed in a 1366 book by Tao Zongyi.^[2] Yuanben might have been very similar to the zaju in the Song dynasty which controlled southern China, and it eventually evolved into the zaju of the Yuan dynasty.^[3]

Role types

There were five role types in yuanben, namely:^[4]

• Fujing (Chinese: 副淨), derived from the canjun role type in canjunxi, a clown
• Fumo (Chinese: 副末), derived from the canghu role type in canjunxi, a jester
• Yinxi (Chinese: 引戲), a playleader
• Moni (Chinese: 末泥), an actor-director
• Guzhuang (Chinese: 孤裝), the "mandarin" role

References

1. Jin, p. 21.
2. Mackerras, p. 22–23.
3. Kuzay, Stefan (2018). "A Concise History of Theatre in Imperial China". Asian Traditional Theatre and Dance. Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki. ISBN 978-952-7218-23-5.
4. Mackerras, p. 20.

• Mackerras, Colin (1983). Chinese Theater: From Its Origins to the Present Day. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-0813-4.
• Jin Dengcai (金登才) (2005). 中国戏曲精华史 [Essential History of Chinese Opera] (in Chinese). Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House (四川文艺出版社). ISBN 7-5411-2325-0.