{"product_id":"kunqu-chinas-classical-song-drama-hardcover","title":"Kunqu: China's Classical Song-drama - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eKim Hunter Gordon\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eSimon Shepherd\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom its origins in the poetic tradition and its refinement in the southern salons of the 16th century, to its 18th\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e-century theatrical heyday and patriotic revival in modern times, this book introduces Kunqu and its enduring role in shaping cultural life. As China's classical musical and theatrical tradition, Kunqu is essential to understanding the country's artistic heritage.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe rich body of drama and poetry associated with Kunqu has often been studied independently of its performance history. By contrast, this book places stage practice and singing at the centre. Kunqu treats poetry and music as inseparable: the tonal and prosodic qualities of Chinese words and the melodies that carry them are mutually dependent. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom Ming gardens and rowdy Qing playhouses to the Manchu imperial court, Republican singing societies, and online forums today, debates over how Kunqu should be sung have never ceased. Hunter Gordon shows how these debates provide a model for understanding the genre as a whole: just as its vocal delivery has always been contested, so too has its staging. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith a repertoire that remains relatively stable, Kunqu is marked by tensions of interpretation and orthodoxy that place enormous weight on the fine details of performance, making it one of the world's most dynamic classical performance traditions.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKim Hunter Gordon \u003c\/b\u003eis Assistant Professor of Chinese and Performance Studies at Duke Kunshan University, China.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 208\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.5 x 8 x 5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 19, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53086380392755,"sku":"9781350436176","price":169.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/5MO5_CDtnE9781350436176.webp?v=1772054619","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/en-ca\/products\/kunqu-chinas-classical-song-drama-hardcover","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}