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- Guan Hanqing, known as China's Shakespeare of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), was a leading dramatist who worked out of the capital Dadu (present-day Beijing), but little biographical data on him exists though some documents recorded him as a doctor.
- Part from his literary career, he was also said to have been a theatrical manager and sometime an actor.
- Guan Hanqing led a dissolute life, spending much time in places of low entertainment, yet he emerged as perhaps China's greatest playwright.
- Acknowledging his bohemian lifestyle, he called himself "the leader of all loafers in the country", and described himself as a "copper pea that cannot be crushed". (China Culture)
Guan Hanqing was talented and versatile. He was good at writing poems, playing chess, was a musical expert and was a very experienced dancer. He used to work in the medical department for the royal family, but become disillusioned with medicine. He then turned his attention to writing plays, and displayed a great enthusiasm for it. There was a drama form, called Zaju, that was popular at the time. It reflected the reality of the society and received warm welcome by the people. Guan's plays did not aspire to entertain nobles but articulate the bitterness of the common people.
Guan Hanqing's works encouraged common people to fight against oppression and greatly influenced the development of Chinese drama. Guan wrote 67 Zaju plays but only 18 remain. His writing, involving complicated characters, is unparalleled by other classic playwrights.
Because of his achievement, Guan Hanqing is named "Ancestor of Zaju." He has been honored as the "Oriental Shakespeare" concerning his achievement in worldwide literature. (Literature of the Yuan Dynasty)
Guan Hanqing's works encouraged common people to fight against oppression and greatly influenced the development of Chinese drama. Guan wrote 67 Zaju plays but only 18 remain. His writing, involving complicated characters, is unparalleled by other classic playwrights.
Because of his achievement, Guan Hanqing is named "Ancestor of Zaju." He has been honored as the "Oriental Shakespeare" concerning his achievement in worldwide literature. (Literature of the Yuan Dynasty)