By Leung Pui-chee Since the late Ming and early Qing dynasties (mid-17th century), the muk'yu tradition followed the gradual southern migration of the Central Plain culture and re-established itself firmly in the Lingnan region. Its lyrical compositions became a separate branch of literary tradition, closely affiliated with the anti-establishment, anti-feudalism ideology of reformers such as Li Zhi and Yuan Hungdao. The muk'yu sentiments followed the wake of democratic movement. The power of this art form expanded ... Its stories and practice spread from the everyday life into the stages and theaters. For these reasons, the muk'yu tradition exerted a profound and extensive influence within the masses of the commoners. In Hong Kong in the late 1960's, there witnessed a methodical search and purchase of muk'yu song books... When this became known, a race for the acquisition of muk'yu song books ensured ... The competition for muk'yu related resources within the Hong Kong and Macau areas during this period testify to the demand for and influence of this art form. In the early 1980's, (an) ... advertisement from a shop in San Francisco Chinatown had a selection of over one hundred titles of muk'yu songs. Within a period of two decades, the present author has collected over two hundred different copies of cassette tapes of muk'yu songs. From the above account, it is easy to see that the muk'yu tradition has occupied an important place in the Chinese community.