Kunqu

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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. It has been listed as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.^[1] Wei Liangfu [zh] refined the musical style of kunqu,^[2] and it gained widespread popularity when Liang Chenyu used the style in his drama Huansha ji (Washing Silk).^[3] In 2006, it was listed on the first national intangible cultural heritage list. In 2008, it was included in the List of Representative Works of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In December 2018, the General Office of the Ministry of Education announced that Peking University is the base for inheriting excellent traditional Chinese culture in Kunqu.^[4]

Kunqu takes drum and board to control the rhythm of singing, with Qu flute, three strings and so on as the main accompanying instrument; its singing pronunciation is "Zhongzhou Rhyme."