Guci
In Chinese culture, Guci (simplified Chinese: 鼓词; traditional Chinese: 鼓詞; pinyin: Gǔcí; lit. 'drum lyrics') are the prosimetric lyrics of dagu, one musical entertainment form in the shuochang or "speak and sing" genre. The performers narrate a story based on the lyrics, usually accompanied by singing, while beating a drum. Other accompanying musical instruments are sanxian, sihu, pipa and yangqin. The art form was very popular during the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty,[1] and therefore extant guci are very important in studying Chinese fiction from those period.[2]
References
- ^ Hegel, Robert E. (1998). Reading Illustrated Fiction in Late Imperial China. Stanford University Press. pp.26, 371-372.
- ^ Hanan, Patrick. (2004). Chinese Fiction of the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries: Essays. Columbia University Press. p.134.