The Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou is a comprehensive cultural venue built to commemorate Tang Xianzu, one of the world’s hundred great cultural figures and a master of Ming‑dynasty drama in China. It is also one of Jiangxi Province’s ten major memorial halls dedicated to historical luminaries.

Condolence Message: Deeply Mourning Mr. Zhou Yude

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2026-08-16

Deeply mournful remembrance of Mr. Zhou Yude.

In the early hours of August 15, 2026, Mr. Zhou Yude, a leading figure in Chinese Tang studies, an eminent scholar of drama, and former president of the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Opera, passed away at the age of 88. We are deeply shocked and mourn with profound sorrow.

Mr. Zhou Yude, a member of the Communist Party of China, was born in November 1938 in Pingdu, Shandong Province, with ancestral roots in Gucheng County, Hebei Province. He served as the former president, professor, and researcher at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Opera, and was a renowned educator and theorist in the field of Chinese opera. He is also an expert who receives a special government allowance from the State Council.

Mr. Zhou Yude graduated from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Hangzhou University (now Zhejiang University) in 1961. From 1978 to 1981, he pursued a master’s degree in Chinese opera at the Chinese National Academy of Arts, studying under Zhang Geng and Guo Hancheng, and earned his degree from the Drama Department of the Graduate School in 1982. Mr. Zhou Yude served as a researcher at the Chinese National Academy of Arts, deputy director of its Graduate School, and a member of the Academy’s Degree Evaluation Committee. From 1996 to 2001, he held the position of president of the China Academy of Traditional Opera, while concurrently serving in various academic capacities, including member of the Board of Directors of the China Dramatists Association, vice president of the Chinese Society for Opera Studies, member of the Editorial Committee of the “Compendium of Chinese Opera,” president of the Tang Xianzu Research Association, and visiting researcher at the Center for Drama Studies of the Central University for Nationalities.

Mr. Zhou Yude devoted his life to the study of Chinese opera history, opera culture, and the works of Tang Xianzu. His scholarly output is both abundant and monumental, including such seminal works as “Chinese Opera Culture,” “Essays on Tang Xianzu,” “Kunqu Opera and Ming–Qing Society,” “A Brief History of Chinese Opera,” and “Selected Writings of Chinese Theatre Historians at Home and Abroad: The Zhou Yude Volume.” He also edited and annotated major texts such as “The Collected Operas of Gubaitang” and “Xiaohan Xinyong,” leaving a profound and lasting impact. Moreover, he served as the expert commentator for “The Peony Pavilion” in the National Library’s series “One Hundred Classics of Traditional Chinese Culture.” For decades, he has pursued rigorous research in opera historiography, undertaken the systematic collation of classical opera manuscripts, and promoted opera education, demonstrating a broad scholarly vision that seamlessly integrates literature and history.

Mr. Zhou Yude has consistently attached great importance to and wholeheartedly supported the study of Tang Xianzu’s legacy and cultural development in Fuzhou, his hometown. He has shown particular concern for and unwavering support of the construction and opening of the Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou. Each time he visits the birthplace of Master Tang, he never fails to pay a visit to the memorial hall to offer scholarly guidance and conduct social research, and he has generously donated academic monographs on numerous occasions. Mr. Zhou Yude has made outstanding contributions to the study, preservation, and promotion of Tang Xianzu’s cultural legacy in China, as well as to the cultural development and advancement of Fuzhou. He is a distinguished scholar of Tang Xianzu studies, deeply cherished and respected by all colleagues at the Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou, and a beloved mentor and friend who remains ever present in their hearts.

The passing of Mr. Zhou Yude is a profound loss for China’s theater and opera communities! We are deeply saddened and offer our heartfelt condolences.

Dear Mr. Zhou Yude, may you rest in peace.

Fuzhou City Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall – Deep Condolences

August 16, 2026

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Compiled by: Jiang Yuanping | Preliminary Review: Deng Chao | End Reviewer: Rao Fang