Kuan Han-Ching

(dates of birth and death unknown), 13th-century Chinese dramatist. The titles of more than 60 of his plays are known, but only 18 have been preserved.

A tragic picture of the people’s suffering is revealed in a tragedy by Kuan that stands out in Chinese and world literature, The Wronging of Tou O, as well as in his social dramas The Dream About the Imperiled Butterfly and The Pavilion Above the River. Dramas of everyday life and lyrical comedies, such as The Pond of Golden Threads, HsiehTienhsiang, The Girl Friend’s Rescue, The Nephrite Stand, The Servant Girl’s Love, and Praying to the Moon, contain interesting sketches of private life in feudal China. The country’s past is remembered in the historical dramas Alone in an Enemy Camp and Dream Journey to Western Shu. Kuan Han-ch’ing is one of the creators and an unsurpassed master of the tsa-chü dramatic genre. About 50 of his lyrical songs have also been preserved. In spite of the generalized nature of psychological characterizations that are typical of yüan dramas, many of Kuan Han-ch’ing’s images have been developed vitally and in depth. His best plays (which were adapted to the stage) were produced in the theaters of the Chinese People’s Republic.