With a history of more than 500 years, Kunqu ruled as the predominant classical theatre during the Ming and the Qing dynasties in China. Proclaimed by the United Nations in 2001 as "a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity," Kunqu stands today as the towering dramatic and musical genre, in which beauty reigns supreme.

In this bilingual book, a selection of 26 translated highlight acts from 9 outstanding Kunqu plays is presented, including The Peony Pavilion, The Palace of Eternal Youth, among others. All the translations are based on the versions as how they are performed on stage. These scenes are translated into an English marked by a poetic flow and elegance to match the original classical language of Kunqu, whose quintessential spirit is poetry. This bilingual book may enable the readers to savour the riveting Kunqu tales through appreciation of both languages. Furthermore, this book may well serve as a textbook lesson to the effort of translating classical Chinese dramas into non-Chinese languages, when they are presented outside of China.

The book is highly recommended by leading Chinese writers Kenneth Hsien-yung Pai and Yu Qiuyu, and prominent U.S. opera stage director Peter McClintock. Jim Oestreich, drama and music critic of the New York Times, acclaimed it as "magnificent","captivating", and "colorful".

About the author

Ben Wang is senior lecturer in Language and Humanities at the New York China Institute in America, and Instructor of Chinese at the United Nations.

He also serves as Co-Chair of the N.Y. Renwen Society and Advisor and Chief-Translator for the N.Y. Kunqu Society. Ben Wang has lectured on classical Chinese literature and drama at Yale, Columbia, the Smithsonian, the National Gallery of Art, United Nations, Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among others. He taught Chinese and translation at Columbia University and New York University between 1969 and 1991.

Ben Wang received the 1988 literature translation prize for his translation of Growing Up by Russell Baker, awarded by the Literary Association of Taiwan, China.

On September 6, 2003, he was conferred upon the citation of being "an outstanding citizen" by the City Council of New York.