Sanqu is a new form of poetry came into being after Ci and was developed in Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) Dynasties. It was also a kind of verse for singing. Music experienced a fundamental change since the late period of Northern Song. A great number of “foreign” music came in and was mixed up with folk music; the accompanying instrument for Ci singing was mainly “Xiao”—a vertical bamboo flute, but now foreign instruments like “Zheng, Pipa and Huqin” were being used. Ci could no longer accommodate to the needs of new music, so Sanqu emerged, as times required. The most important contribution Yuan Dynasty made for China’s literature was that it gave birth to “Qu” and Chinese opera. “Qu” in Yuan Dynasty included two parts: a) Sanqu (loose music); b) Juqu (opera music).Juqu was a form of opera with a story and figures; it was composed of acting, singing and dialogues; Sanqu was singing without makeup, acting or dialogue. Sanqu was usually accompanied by strings, pipa, flutes and clappers, but not gongs and drums, which must be used in Juqu. Sanqu is consisted of “小令，Xiao Ling, A Short Song” and “套数, Tao Shu, A Set of Songs”. A Short Song is of one tune and one rhyme and similar to “Jue Ju” in poetry and “Xiao Ling”in Ci. A Set of Songs is composed of more than two songs of the same type of tunes and in the same rhyme from beginning to end. The longest set has as many as 34 songs. So, what is the difference between Ci and Qu? As we said just now the difference is first of all in music. The second difference is that the long lines in Qu can have more than 30 characters. Qu is more colloquial, natural, straightforward and it can be serious and facetious at the same time.
A portrait of Guan Hanqing
It has been studied that there were 227 Sanqu poets in the Yuan Dynasty. Guan Hanqing (关汉卿) is most known for his opera texts [ he wrote 67 of them, with only 18 still in existence. “The Unjust Charge on Dou E (窦娥冤)”and “The River-Watching
The Opera: The Unjust Charge on Dou E
Pavilion (望江亭)” are most famous ], but he is also an outstanding Sanqu poet. His 14 sets of songs and 35 short songs wrote about a) the busy cities and the life of performers, for instance “Scenery in Hangzhou” described Hangzhou in a simple, vivid and forthright way; b) travels and departures, his short song “沉醉东风，Chen Zui Dong Feng, The Deeply Drunken East Wind” is very representative of this part:
咫尺的天南地北， Zhi chi de tian nan di bei,
霎时间月缺花飞！ Sha shi jian yue que hua fei!
手执着饯行杯， Shou zhi zhe jian xing bei,
眼阁着别离泪。 Yan ge zhe bie li lei.
刚道得声保重将息， Gang dao de sheng bao zhong jiang xi,
痛煞煞教人舍不得。 Tong sha sha jiao ren she bu dei.
好去者， Hao qu zhe,
望前程万里！ Wang qian cheng wan li!
By a foot southern sky and northern earth is divided,
In a moment the moon is not full and flowers begin to drop.
To toast farewell with a cup in hand,
Tears in eyes because you’ll depart.
Having just said, “take care”,
I don’t really want you go and my heart aches.
In your 10 thousand li future trip,
I wish you save and sound!
This Sanqu about the parting of a boy from his love is very touching. There is nothing artificial. To write about soft feelings with vigorous strokes is the feature of Guan’s Sanqu. Guan also wrote about c) his life and aspirations. “不伏老， Bu Fu Lao, Refuse to Be Old” is a masterpiece in Sanqu:
我是个蒸不烂， 煮不熟， wo shi ge zheng bu lan, zhu bu shou,
捶不扁，炒不爆， chui bu bian, chao bu bao,
响珰珰一粒铜豌豆。 Xiang dang dang yi ke tong wan dou.
恁子弟每谁教你钻入他锄不断， ping zi di mei shui jiao ni zhuan ru ta chu bu duan,
斫不下，解不开， 顿不脱， zhe bu xia, jie bu kai,
慢腾腾千层锦套头… man teng teng qian ceng jin tao tou…
我也会围棋，会蹴踘，会打围，会插科， wo ye hui weiqi, hui cu ju, hui da wei, hui cha ke,
会歌舞，会吹弹，会咽作，会双陆， hui ge wu, hui chui tan, hui yan zuo, hui shuang lu,
你便是落了我的牙， 歪了我的嘴， ni bian shi luo le wo de ya,
瘸了我的腿， 折了我的手， qie le wo de tui, zhe le wo de shou,
天赐与我这几般歹症侯， tian ci yu wo zhe ji ban dai zheng hou,
尚兀自不肯休。 Shang wu zi bu ken xiu.
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