中國戲曲是世界三大古老戲劇文化之一，也是現在世界上唯一還活著的古老戲劇。中國戲曲從孕育到最終戲劇形態的完成，歷經了從宋、金的院本、再到元代的雜劇以及南戲、傳奇等時期，直到十六世紀中葉，崑曲時代的到來，才逐漸走向成熟，從而呈現出一片繁榮的景象。與西方戲劇不同，中國戲曲是融詩歌、表演、音樂、舞蹈、美術於一體，高度綜合的一種舞臺藝術，而崑曲最能夠體現出中國民族戲劇特色。早在元朝末年，宋元南戲流傳到江南蘇州的崑山地區，很快就與當地的民歌、小調、山歌等相融合，在顧堅、顧瑛組成的玉山雅集的推動中逐漸形成了「崑山腔」。及至明代中葉，魏良輔融合南曲的清柔婉轉及北曲激昂慷慨「度為新聲」，成為當時流行的「時曲」。嘉靖年間，梁辰魚創作的《浣紗記》則成為清唱的崑曲轉變為舞臺戲劇的首作。此後經過眾多藝人和文化界人士的努力和改進，崑山腔便以蘇州為中心，不斷向外擴展，逐漸的流布到南方，形成了眾多流脈和支派，諸如川劇、徽劇、婺劇、湘劇、紹劇、贛劇等，在劇碼、聲腔和表演藝術等方面都與崑曲關係緊密，成為諸腔之首，並成為了皇宮中的大戲，被人們稱為「官腔」。崑曲的興盛與士大夫把自身所特有的文化內涵，注入崑曲之中，雅化了崑曲的文學價值有關，但也意味著與民間漸行漸遠的困境，終至在「花雅之爭」中由「花部」取代了「雅部」崑曲發展的空間。

Chinese theatrical art is one of the three most ancient theatrical traditions. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is historically continuous and still evolving today. The evolution of Chinese theatrical art was a long historical process. Important phases include the yuanben during the Song Dynasty, the zaju during the Yuan Dynasty, followed by the nanxi and the chuanqi. The appearance of the kunqu in the 16th century marks a watershed moment for the arrival of mature theatrical art. Chinese theatrical art is a stage performance art with highly synthesized poetic, acting, musical, choreographical, and visualistic aspects, and differs from its ancient Western counterparts in this regard. The essentials of the Chinese art tradition are well represented by the kunqu, which origins can be traced to the late Yuan Dynasty, when nanxi spread to the Kunshan region in Suzhou, and in time amalgamated with the folk tradition such as the xiaodiao and the shange. A standardized form of musical performance – the kunshan qiang – took shape, with the salons organized by Gu Jian and Gu Ying cultivating the genre. The mid-Ming Dynasty saw further experiments with the kunshan qiang. One particularly influential example is Wei Liangfu’ shiqu, a synthesis of the melodious nanqu with the pompous beiqu. Another example took place in the years of Emperor Jiajin of the Ming Dynasty. Huansha Ji, a full-opera performed with unaccompanied singing, was written by Liang Chenyu, and became the seminal work of the kunqu genre. The kunshan qiang prospered under further advancements spearheaded by learned scholars and artists in the Ming and the Qing Dynasties. The kunshan qiang spread from Suzhou across southern China, forming a pluristic system of local variants, such as the chuanju, huiju, wuju, xiangju, shaoju, ganju, among others. The kunqu itself entered into imperial court circles, now often called the guanqiang, with particular implications of its “official” status as the preferred form of performance art. Composing kunqu also became a form of manifestation that the literati employed to demonstrate culture, social status, and identity. In turn, the aestheticization of the kunqu distanced the genre from popular experience. During the Qing Dynasty, the kunqu was challenged and eclipsed by trending local performance art. The competition between the hua and the ya defined the limits and declining influences of the kunqu from the Qing Dynasty onwards.