Nanxi (南戲) or xiwen (戲文) was an early form of Chinese opera, developed from ancient traditions of mime, singing, and dancing during the Song dynasty in the 12th century.
Due to its coarse language, rough prosody, and unsophisticated literary style, Nanxi was considered a low art form during the Song and Yuan dynasties.
However, its status was elevated with Tale of the Pipa written by Gao Ming, a play of better literary quality and more complex structure.
By the middle of the Ming dynasty, Nanxi had developed into a more complex dramatic form known as chuanqi, of which is kunqu is a branch.
[1] In Nanxi opera, as with western operetta, spoken passages alternated with verses (qu 曲) set to popular music.
[4] Other notable Nanxi plays following the Tale of the Pipa include The Thorn Hairpin (荊釵記), The White Rabbit (白兔記), The Moon Pavilion (拜月亭), and Killing Dog (殺狗記).