Guān Hànqīng 關漢卿 (ca. 1220s–1300; CBDB id 112918 gives dates 1216–1296, approximate), hào Yǐzhāi sǒu 已齋叟. A native of Dàdū 大都 (modern Beijing), possibly also associated with Jiě zhōu 解州 (Shanxi). He is the most celebrated playwright of Yuan zájù 雜劇, credited with over sixty plays of which approximately eighteen survive. He was associated with the Yùyuè Shèshè 玉月書社 (Jade-and-Moon Society) literary club in Dadu, where he collaborated with Wang Shifu and other playwrights.
His surviving works include Dòu É Yuān 竇娥冤 (KR4k0037), Jiùfēng Chén 救風塵 (Rescuing a Prostitute), Wàng Jiāng Tíng 望江亭 (The Riverside Pavilion), and others. He also composed sǎnqǔ 散曲 lyric suites, including the famous self-portrait set Nán lǚ·Yī zhī huā 南呂·一枝花 (A Sprig of Blossoms), in which he boasts of his indomitable character: “I am a pellet of bronze, I cannot be steamed, boiled, hammered, or fried.” His drama spans multiple genres: gōng’àn 公案 (court-case), lìqíng 麗情 (romantic), yīngsǐ 英死 (heroic-death), and historical plays.
CBDB id 112918 records the name with approximate dates. The exact dates of birth and death remain uncertain; modern scholarship places him active in the reign of Qubilai Khan (r. 1271–94).