The plays of this period were tightly crafted. The arias the playwrights of this time wrote were highly refined and lyrical. From the vulgar popular to the refined elite. Both Northern and Southern. Musical modes and the rhymes of arias may change even in mid scene.
Scenes usually contain a mix of spoken dialogue and musical arias.
The first scene is called ji m n, and is a prologue of a couple of poems. The dramatic action begins in the second scene. Kunshan is near Suzhou. The Kunshan style blends musical forms from various regions in north and south China. O first adopted the style and thus incited its popularity.