The most important contribution to studies on Yuan drama in recent years and a book that will raise and set the bar for future work in this field. -- Tian Yuan Tan, SOAS, University of London This anthology, together with original introductory segments, opens a new window onto the urban milieu of the formative period of early Chinese theater. For anyone interested in not only the literary but also the performance aesthetics of traditional Chinese drama, this collection is indispensable. -- Patricia Sieber, Ohio State University These translations and introductory essays present the distillation, in a single volume, of decades of study by two leading scholars on the traditions of performance and textual reproduction and adaptation of Yuan drama. Their erudition and deep conversancy with these traditions is presented here in an accessible and engaging form that will benefit both specialists and general readers alike. -- Yuming He, University of California, Davis This collection provides modern readers with both a means to better appreciate the formative period of Chinese theater and an opportunity to imagine how the plays were actually performed in Yuan dynasty China... Highly recommended. Choice