Kuan Han-ch'ing

Kuan Han-ch'ing kwänˈ hän-chĭngˈ [key], c.1240–c.1320, Chinese playwright of the Yüan dynasty. He resided mainly in the capital Ta-tu (Beijing), where he acquired a reputation as a libertine. Of his 63 plays, 21 survive; six are incomplete or fragmentary. Most concern virtuous women who endure grave injustices without complaint, or whose moral integrity and intelligence bolster weak-willed men; three adventurous historical romances also remain.

See translations by H. and G. Yang (1958) and C. Shih (1972).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Asian Literature: Biographies