LIANG CH'EN-Y

born 1520, K'un-shan, Kiangsu province, China died c. 1593, , China Pinyin Liang Chenyu Chinese playwright and author of the first play of the K'un school (k'un-ch') of dramatic singing. When his great actor-friend Wei Liang-fu developed a new, more subtle and quiet style of dramatic singing, he asked Liang Ch'en-y to create a showcase for his new style, and Liang complied by writing the Huan sha chi (Washing the Silken Gauze), a k'un-ch' drama that initiated the type of theatre that was to dominate the Chinese stage until the end of the 18th century. The plot, concerning the feud between the states of Wu and Yeh, is unimportant; rather, the drama is admired for its elegant lyrics and fine soft music.