Zishan da quanji 紫山大全集

Zishan da quanji 紫山大全集 are the collected works of Hu Zhiyu 胡祗遹 (1227-1293), courtesy name Shaokai 紹開, style Zishan 紫山, from Wu'an 武安 in the prefecture of Cizhou 磁州 (in today's Hebei province). During the Zhiyuan reign-period of the Yuan dynasty, he held several important positions in the central and local government. In 1319, he was posthumously granted the title of Minister of Rites (libu shangshu 禮部尚書) and given the posthumous name Wenjing 胡文靖公.

The collection of 26 juan was compiled by his son, Tai-chang Erudite 太常博士 Hu Chi 胡持. The preface states that the original work comprised sixty-seven fascicles, but one juan has since been lost. What circulates today is the version included in the imperial series Siku quanshu 四庫全書, compiled from materials preserved in the Ming-period encyclopaedia Yongle dadian 永樂大典.

The extant text comprises seven juan of rhapsodies (fu 賦) and regular poetry (shi 詩, shiyu 詩餘); twelve juan of prose; four juan of miscellaneous writings (zazhu 雜著); and three juan of "recorded sayings" (yulu 語錄), with one of the miscellaneous juan interspersed among them. The organisational structure is verbose and disorderly. Some parts resemble informal jottings, short essays, administrative regulations, and official documents; they appear layered and intermingled, making it nearly impossible to classify them under a single genre, as noted in the descriptive book catalogue Siku quanshu zongmu tiyao 四庫全書總目提要. Nevertheless, many items in the collection, such as spirit-path steles (shendao bei 神道碑) and epitaph inscriptions (muzhi ming 墓志銘), can be used to verify historical events. There exists a manuscript copy produced by the Hanlin Academy 翰林院 during the Qianlong reign-period 乾隆 (1736-1796) of the Qing dynasty, now preserved in the Beijing Library 北京圖書館), as well as an edition in the series Sanyitang congshu 三怡堂叢書, published in 1923.

Hu Zhiyu had a strong interest in drama and the theatrical arts. His collected works preserve eleven short xiaoling 小令 (individual, expressive arias) pieces attributed to him. Tao Zongyi 陶宗儀 (1322-1403), author of the Chuogenglu 輟耕錄, notes that Hu Zhiyu was deeply fond of the famous drama (zaju 雜劇) performer Zhu Lianxiu 朱簾秀 of his time. Most interesting for the history of Chinese opera are the essays Huangshi shijuan xu 黄氏詩卷序 "Preface to Huang's poetry collection", Youling Zhao Wenyi shi xu 優伶趙文益詩序 "Preface to the poems of the actor Zhao Wenyi", and Zeng Songshi xu 贈宋氏序 "Preface to a gift for Master Song", which, together, reflect Hu Zhiyu's insights and appreciation for the art of drama.

In the Zeng Songshi xu, Hu Zhiyu emphasises that "the sage composes music to relieve suppressed emotions", highlighting the aesthetic and entertainment value of drama. Without music, it would be extremely difficult for humans to truly live as humans, to free them from the "dusty nets of worldly cares, to dispel worldly anxieties, to make them cheerful and joyous, relaxed and content, removing their suffering".

Hu Zhiyu also offers a distinctive interpretation of zaju drama, and explains that it was called "variety" (za 雜) because it encompasses everything from court politics and ministerial success or failure to everyday social relations, practical knowledge, local customs, and foreign cultures—leaving no aspect of human life unrepresented.

In the Youling Zhao Wenyi shi xu, Hu Zhiyu argues that the value of drama lies in ingenuity and novelty, not in mechanically repeating old forms. He likens good drama to skilled cooking, where familiar ingredients are combined to produce ever-new flavours that never weary the audience. Humour and farce function in the same way: only by rejecting the stale and embracing surprise can drama truly delight. Hu also reveals a striking respect for performers, placing actors on a level comparable to sages and sympathising with their public vulnerability, while sharply criticising empty officials who enjoy status without merit. Given the low social standing of actors in the Yuan period, his insistence on treating them with fairness and dignity is notably forward-thinking.

In the Huangshi shijuan xu, Hu sets out nine requirements for performers on artistic quality and singing technique, which he calls the "nine beauties" (jiu mei 九美): appearance and bearing, manner and deportment, intellect and understanding, speech and diction, singing voice, expression and gestures, timing in performance, portraying emotions and actions, and, lastly, innovation and freshness. The "nine beauties" represent a high standard of artistry, demonstrating Hu Zhiyu's understanding of dramatic performance and his view of theatre's aesthetic power to move and captivate audiences.