With the establishment of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), China was once again ruled by the ethnic Han majority. Zaju began to be written by literati and performed at court, as well as receiving popular support. With the input of literati playwrights, nanxi, the fairly crude earliest form of southern drama, developed into the more refined and elaborate chuanqi (lit. "transmit the strange"), and also won the patronage of the court. These plays were performed according to a variety of local musical systems that competed with each other.

The sixteenth century saw the development of Kunqu (lit. "songs of Kunshan"). Based on a local tradition but borrowing elements from outside that tradition, Kunqu emerged as the national, classical dramatic form, patronized by the court and most literati.

Credit for the development of its musical system is given to Wei Liang-fu (c.1522–1573), a musician and performer.

Beautiful melodies and classical language were combined with graceful literary element was also a key component in Kunqu, and the plays were valued for the quality of the writing in addition to being a basis for performance.

Liang Chenyu (c. 1520–1594) was the first successful Kunqu playwright, and as the form grew in popularity, scholars became more involved in playwriting than ever before.

Also during the Ming dynasty, the system of painting faces, using patterns and colors to express the character, flourished, and this contributed yet another aspect of performance that has descended to contemporary Jingju.