Kunqu is an important genre of Chinese drama. It is sometimes called “elegant drama” after its unique style. It has a long history and has played a key role in the development of Chinese drama alongside a great number of local drama styles. The Kunqu playwrights were mainly men of letters who paid special attention to literary craft and stressed the diction of arias as well as how the singing styles would fit the design of arias. As a result, the literary style of these plays is elegant and enjoyed popularity among the educated elite.

The natural and mellifluous style of Kunqu fit the aesthetic taste of the literati and, for this reason, became an inspiration for their dramatic writing. The activities of literati in the Ming (1368–1644) and the Qing (1644–1911) dynasties were closely linked to the development and characteristics of Kunqu. In their creative works, they injected the drama with the spirit and language normally reserved for the shi poetry; this introduced the special characteristic of “poetic drama” into Chinese history. Because of this literati influence, Kunqu took a further step towards elegance. Its elegant beauty stood in contrast to the rough style of folk drama such as Yiyang melody; nevertheless, the two blossomed into full-fledge dramatic forms. During its formation, Kunqu widely absorbed techniques from other kinds of drama, such as Haiyan and Yiyang. When it fully matured, it flourished, and became a national drama, exerting extensive and profound influence on the formation and development of other types of local drama. It is widely known that Beijing opera grew on the basis and under the influence of Anhui drama. However, it also absorbed techniques from a wide variety of other styles of drama. Kunqu influenced Beijing opera in a variety of ways. They are closely related and some find it hard to identify certain plays as being either a Beijing or Kunqu play; because of this closeness, the term “Jing-Kun” arose. The following plays, for example, fall into that category: Bie mu luan jian (Bidding farewell to mother and being shot by arrows), Nao xue (Chunxiang makes trouble at school), Jia mei (Betrothing my younger sister),” and Xiashan (Going downhill). In addition, learning Kunqu was a prerequisite for any actor or actress of Beijing opera who aspired to the upper ranks of players. Some superstars of Beijing opera, such as Mei Lanfang (1894–1961), Zhou Xinfang (1895–1975), and Cheng Yanqiu (1904–1958) were also famous Kunqu artists.

Many Kunqu playwrights such as Tang Xianzu (1550–1616), Hong Sheng (1645–1704), and Kong Shangren (1648–1718), were also first-class writers. Their works bear the characteristics of being highly florid, euphemistic, elegant, and ornate. Among the many famous plays there are some that stand out: namely, Mudan ting (Peony pavilion), Xixiang ji (Story of the western wing), and Changsheng dian (Palace of lasting life). The accomplishments of these works are unmatched in either literature or drama. The Mudan ting was written in the Ming dynasty by Tang Xianzu. It tells the story of Du Liniang, daughter of the perfect of Nan’an, and Liu Mengmei, a young scholar with whom Du falls in love during a dream. After waking up, Du Liniang is forlorn and eventually dies of lovesickness. While Liu Mengmei is on his way to the capital for the imperial examination, he finds a portrait of Du and falls deeply in love. Day and night he converses with the portrait and meets her in his dreams. Although Du has died, the lord of the underworld restores her to life because he sees that a marriage between her and Liu was predestined. Despite her father’s opposition to the marriage, the two eventually wed. The main themes of Mudan ting include: the pursuit of one’s own good luck, opposition to arranged marriages, and an idealized romanticism. Tang Xianzu’s advocacy of “true love” was a realization of the pursuit of “genuine feelings” promoted by the Ming dynasty’s enlightenment movement. Wang Shifu (1250–ca. 1337), a famous playwright of the Yuan dynasty, wrote Xixiang ji. It relates the love story of the student Zhang Gong and Cui Yingying, the daughter of a prime minister. Although they fall in love at first sight, play the zither together, exchange poetry, and love each other, their courtship is obstructed by Lady Cui. With the help of Maid Crimson, however, they overcome all the obstacles and finally marry. Changsheng dian is a representative work of Hong Sheng, a famous playwright of the Qing dynasty. It tells the love story of Emperor Xuanzong (r. 712–756) of the Tang dynasty and Precious Consort Yang Yuhuan (719–756). The emperor dotes upon the consort and appoints her brother, Yang Guozhong, prime minister. This eventually gives rise to political corruption. Later, when An Lushan attacks the capital, Chang’an, the emperor flees. Arriving at the Mawei post station, the entourage of generals and soldiers mutinied and kill Yang Guozhong and force the consort to hang herself. The second part of the play focuses on the emperor’s longing for the Consort and adopts a mythological presentation of the two lovers’ reunion in Heaven.

Drama is a stage art and in its long evolution a variety of performance conventions developed. The same is true for Kunqu which developed a series of performance customs reflecting a composite unity of folk beliefs, art, and life. These customs have been strictly followed and venerated by generations of artists. Just one example is that the first and last scenes of the drama are both set in a city, with a fixed formula for these scenes. As a popular art form in the Ming and Qing period, Kunqu influenced society in many ways. In the beginning of its development, literati regarded drama as something trivial or even vulgar. Beginning in the Yuan dynasty, literati who were discriminated against by the ruling class, embarked upon playwriting and gradually drama became more respectable. In addition to the literati, merchants played an important role in promoting Kunqu through their financial support. In addition to keeping troupes of actors at their homes, these merchants also organized occasional plays and patronized the theaters.