Chen Yuqian

Chen Yuqian was a Suzhou tanci storyteller of the Qing whose dates are unknown. He is said to have trained first in a Suzhou Kunqu troupe before turning to tanci. He is counted with Mao Changpei, Yu Xiushan and Chen Ruiting among the four masters of the Jiaqing-Daoguang era, and is generally credited with the Chen tune, one of the main tanci melodies: drawing on Kunqu and sung in a full natural voice, broad and weathered, it suits elderly roles and stands with the Yu and Ma tunes as one of the three great schools. The 1809 edition of Yiyao Zhuan, the White Snake tale, and the 1813 edition of Shuang Jinding both name him as compiler.