Kunqu

Kunqu (), also known as Kunju (), '''K'un-ch'ü, Kun opera or Kunqu opera', is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from a music style local to Kunshan, part of the Wu cultural area, and later came to dominate Chinese theater from the 16th to the 18th centuries. refined the musical style of kunqu, and it gained widespread popularity when Liang Chenyu used the style in his drama Huansha ji (Washing Silken Gauze). Well-known pieces of Kunqu opera included The Peony Pavilion'' from the Ming dynasty.