Kūnshān

Kunshan lies in the water country east of Suzhou, among lakes, canals and fertile fields. Its name became famous far beyond Jiangnan through a style of singing that grew into one of China's most influential forms of theatre. The refined melodies of Kunshan carried stories of love and war to stages throughout the empire.

During the Ming, the musician Wei Liangfu reshaped the local singing style into the smooth, delicate melody known as the water-mill tune. The Kunshan playwright Liang Chenyu learned from Wei and used the new music in his play The Story of Washing Silk. Its tale of Xi Shi and the rivalry of Wu and Yue helped bring the revised style from concert singing to the theatre, opening the way for later Kunqu dramas.