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How did Kunqu reach such great artistic heights within two hundred years?
This is my topic for discussion.
If we do not understand the historical background,
we cannot know how Kunqu attained such greatness.
The sounds of Kunqu echo still today. When we look back,
we find that this art (Kunqu) is indeed one of mankind’s great achievements.
Its aesthetic achievement,
can be placed at the head of that of any civilization.
How did this happen?
From the middle of the Ming dynasty, the delta region of southern China,
including other regions of China where transportation was convenient,
great socio-economic changes took place.
In West, some scholars referred to this time as the <i>pre-capitalist</i> period:
the so-called <i>pre-modern</i> period.
That is to say, entire societies were changing, China was also changing.
Before this, we called Chinese society an agrarian empire.
We spoke of: “agriculture as foundation; commerce the least”.
<i>Literati, peasantry, craftsmen, merchant,</i> was the ideal social hierarchy in Chinese history.
But in the 16th century there was a great change.
In southern China, there were several great lines of water transportation.
One was the Yangzi river; the other was the Grand Canal.
In addition, the coastal region around Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou,
became cultural centers because of economic development.
The entire southern region along the Yangzi and the Grand Canal,
northward from northern Jiangsu to Shandong,
and then on to Beijing, the economy along this line was burgeoning.
The whole world was (also) changing.
A great event was Spain’s occupation of the Americas.
Portugal dominated the Indian trade route from the Cape of Good Hope
to Malacca, and on to east Asia.
The early expansion of the West reached Asia, including China.
Asia, especially China was a great agrarian empire.
It also had rather strong military power.
Its social organization was also quite strong.
Therefore, China did not collapse immediately, or change immediately.
But China did change (eventually).
This change from late Ming to early Qing dynasties
caused the entire society to become rather open.
The same time saw the rise of the merchant class.
Society favored economic power, not just the traditional political power.
At the same time, lifestyle began to change.
Gradually, consumerism became the goal of the population.
Innovation in the realms of culture, art, and recreation, all proliferated.
Some people began to promote consumerism.
This was very important and rare in traditional Chinese society.
Lu Ji (1515-1552) spoke about those who advocated economizing:
“Thinking that thrift will enrich the people”.
But he said: “not so”. Thrift can only forestall poverty.
For example, if a family is thrifty, this family can avoid poverty.
But to govern a country, one cannot say this.
Only spending can accomplish great things in a nation.
He gave this example:
People in places of poverty have difficulty making a living.
But if you look at the rich places, the best, the most luxurious places in the south
are Suzhou and Hangzhou.
“Consuming the best foods without cultivating; wearing brocades without pushing the weaving shuttle”.
That is to say, there are many who eat well and wear the best garments
but never have to work.
He said that consumerism can create employment.
His ideas are just like what we hear today.
Consumption is great, everybody will have jobs, will make a living.
We must remember it is four or five hundred years ago that
someone said this in <i>pre-modern</i> China.
Such words show that Chinese society was undergoing great changes.
Will such changes lead to evolution of culture and the arts?
The proliferation of luxuries and the desire for consumption
led to the refinement of tastes and desire for luxuries.
These led to the trend toward romanticism during the late Ming era.
When we look back at these (historical) records
we can understand the enormity of the changes,
and how these changes led to the refinement in tastes.
The refinement in tastes begins with material consumption and then
leads to seeking spiritual consumerism.
The striving for aestheticism is also closely related to these phenomena.
The striving for spirituality cannot be separated from material foundation.
This is clear.
The rise of Kunqu took place in this environment.
Prof. Wei Hua 華瑋Professor and Division Head
Prof. Kenneth Hsien-yung Pai 白先勇Wei Lun Professor of Humanities
Prof. Lindy Li Mark 李林德Professor Emerita
