Tanci is a narrative form of song in China that alternates between verse and prose, its name meaning plucking rhymes for the singing of verse portions to a pipa; a line of tanci is usually seven words long, occasionally ten. Local forms include Suzhou Tanci, Yangzhou Tanci, Siming Nanci and Shaoxing Pinghudiao, and the three most celebrated works in the form are Chen Duansheng's Zaishengyuan, Tao Zhenhuai's Tianyuhua and Qiu Xinru's Bishenghua.
Facts
Place of OriginJiangnan region, lower Yangtze River Valley, China 1 Notable ExampleZaishengyuan ("Lovers through Time") by Chen Duansheng 1 Defining TraitAlternates between verse and prose, sung to pipa accompaniment 1 FAQs
Who wrote and enjoyed tanci?
Educated women of the Jiangnan region in the Qing dynasty.
Tanci began as a popular literary genre in the Ming dynasty. In the mid-to-late Qing dynasty it became especially popular with educated women, who wrote and performed the music. Historically it was a favorite art form of women in the lower Yangtze River Valley, specifically the Jiangnan region.
In the Other Atlases
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source Tanci - WikipediaLead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia articleQuote, Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article
Tanci is a narrative form of song in China that alternates between verse and prose.
Sources
1. Tanci - Wikipedia
History section, opening sentence
Historically tanci was a popular art form with women in the lower Yangtze River Valley, specifically the Jiangnan region.
Lead section, sentence naming the three most famous tanci
The three most famous tanci are the Zaishengyuan ("Lovers through Time") by Chen Duansheng, Tianyuhua ("A Rain of Flowers") by Tao Zhenhuai, and Bishenghua ("Flowers from her Brush") by Qiu Xinru.
Lead section, opening sentence
Tanci is a narrative form of song in China that alternates between verse and prose.
In Group: Storytelling and Oral Performance Traditions, Lead
a narrative form of song in China that alternates between verse and prose
View the SourceReader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.