Misplaced Pages

#674325

79-555: Theatre of China has a long and complex history. Traditional Chinese theatre, generally in the form of Chinese opera , is musical in nature. Chinese theatre can trace its origin back a few millennia to ancient China, but the Chinese opera started to develop in the 12th century. Western forms like the spoken drama, western-style opera , and ballet did not arrive in China until the 20th century. Theatre in China dates back to as early as

158-551: A fight. Later in the film, the interaction between various multiverse versions of Evelyn result in the Chinese opera version botching and then salvaging a performance. Six Dynasties The six dynasties based in Jiankang (modern-day Nanjing ) were: The Veritable Records of Jiankang (建康實錄) by Xu Song (许嵩) of the Tang dynasty provides a historical account of Jiankang, which gave rise to this list. The list of dynasties above

237-531: A golden age, with numerous new plays being written. Peking Opera also became popular in Shanghai, where new dramas in the form serialized dramas emerged. The best-known actor of Peking opera was Mei Lanfang , whose performances spread the fame of Peking opera worldwide. In the People's Republic of China era, the government set up a special department for the improvement of drama. The first national opera festival

316-439: A lot compared to the past. The influences of the modern world affected the form of music/ theatre/ drama the Chinese were having. The rapid development of the country affected theater plays. The current Chinese theater has been developed to a new form: people do not watch plays from theater, they watch it at homes or on their TV. In addition to music theater, the modern world inspired new forms of drama, including what became known as

395-516: A mask. Another was called Botou (撥頭, also 缽頭), a masked dance drama from the Western Regions that tells the story of a grieving son who sought a tiger that killed his father. In The Dancing Singing Woman (踏謡娘), which relates the story of a wife battered by her drunken husband, the song and dance drama was initially performed by a man dressed as a woman. The stories told in of these song-and-dance dramas are simple, but they are thought to be

474-709: A passage about Confucius (551–479 BC) explaining the Great Warrior Dance or Dawu Dance ( Chinese : 大武舞 ; pinyin : Dàwǔ Wǔ ), which told the story of King Wu of Zhou 's overthrow of the Shang dynasty in c. 1046 BC, and how he founded the Zhou dynasty with the help of Duke of Zhou and Duke of Shao . The Great Warrior Dance not only depicted a full story, but was also filled with symbolism, as Confucius explained: When they dance in two rows and lunge in all directions with their weapons, they are spreading

553-502: A play called Shi Hou Ji (狮吼记) that emphasized male authority over women. The standard types of Ming actors includes Cai, Hui, and Zhi. Cai is extraordinary talent, and Hui is the wisdom that enables them to utilize their skills with flexibility. The most important one is Zhi, the ability to combine practical and abstract beauty on stage. As for techniques, the actors needed to excel in singing, dancing, and role-playing. These actors developed outstanding singing and dancing techniques to serve

632-564: A revival and continued to be a very popular form of entertainment, both on stage and television. In the 21st century, Chinese opera is seldom publicly staged except in formal Chinese opera houses. It may also be presented during the lunar seventh month Chinese Ghost Festival in Asia as a form of entertainment to the spirits and audience. More than thirty famous pieces of Kunqu opera continue to be performed today, including The Peony Pavilion , The Peach Blossom Fan , and adaptions of Journey to

711-435: A sign of appreciation to the audience. Chinese opera Traditional Chinese opera ( traditional Chinese : 戲曲 ; simplified Chinese : 戏曲 ; pinyin : xìqǔ ; Jyutping : hei3 kuk1 ), or Xiqu , is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more than

790-459: A sign of status. A female courtesan in late Ming named Ma Xianglan was the only woman known to have owned a private theatre troupe. Developing a private theatre troupe represented a huge investment; the owners first pick potential actors from poor families or slave households and from performing schools, with more emphasis on their looks. and the owners would invest in further training for these people. The troupe leaders may hire retired actors to teach

869-470: A thousand years, reaching its mature form in the 13th century, during the Song dynasty (960–1279 AD). Early forms of Chinese theater are simple; however, over time, various art forms such as music, song and dance, martial arts, acrobatics, costume and make-up art, as well as literary art forms were incorporated to form traditional Chinese opera. Performers had to practice for many years to gain an understanding of

SECTION 10

#1732772593675

948-476: A tiger that killed his father. In The Dancing Singing Woman (踏謡娘), which relates the story of a wife battered by her drunken husband, the song and dance drama was initially performed by a man dressed as a woman. The stories told of in these song-and-dance dramas are simple, but they are thought to be the earliest pieces of musical theatre in China, and the precursors to the more sophisticated later forms of Chinese opera. These forms of early drama were popular in

1027-607: A variety of operas including Peking Opera known collectively as Huabu (花部, "flowery drama"). A range of other regional operas also emerged, such as Shanxi opera , Henan opera , Hebei opera , Shandong Laizhou clapper opera, Cantonese opera and Fujian opera. In various regions, local forms of opera flourished, and became popular in major cities by the end of the Qing dynasty and early Republican era. Some of these may developed from folk song-and-dance performances that evolved from "The Dancing Singing Woman" (踏謡娘) style of theatre, such as

1106-426: A very colorful shadow. The thin rods which controlled their movements were attached to a leather collar at the neck of the puppet. The rods ran parallel to the bodies of the puppet then turned at a ninety degree angle to connect to the neck. While these rods were visible when the shadow was cast, they laid outside the shadow of the puppet; thus they did not interfere with the appearance of the figure. The rods attached at

1185-561: A woman performer under the alias Song Liling and enters a 20-year relationship with French civil servant René Gallimard. The latter is unaware that female roles in Peking opera are actually played by men due to women being barred from the stage. An update in January 2022 for the game Genshin Impact includes a story quest that features a musical number from the character Yun Jin that is in

1264-410: Is divided into recitative and Beijing colloquial speech, the former employed by serious characters and the latter by young females and clowns. Character roles are strictly defined, and each character have their own elaborate make-up design. The traditional repertoire of Beijing opera includes more than 1,000 works, mostly taken from historical novels about political and military struggles. At the turn of

1343-507: Is sometimes referred to as the "southern Six Dynasties" to distinguish from the "northern Six dynasties", which were: The Six Dynasties was an important era in the history of Chinese poetry, especially remarkable for its frank (for Classical Chinese poetry) descriptions of love and beauty. Especially important, and frequently translated into English, is the anthology New Songs from the Jade Terrace , compiled by Xu Ling (507–83), under

1422-695: Is the Canjun Opera (參軍戲, or Adjutant Play) which originated from the Later Zhao Dynasty (319–351 AD). In its early form, it was a simple comic drama involving only two performers, where a corrupt officer, Canjun or the adjutant , was ridiculed by a jester named Grey Hawk (蒼鶻). The characters in Canjun Opera are thought to be the forerunners of the fixed role categories of later Chinese opera, particularly of its comic chou (丑) characters. Various song and dance dramas developed during

1501-473: The Classic of Poetry as possible lyrics of songs accompanying court dances from the early or mid-Zhou dynasty. The Zhou royal court as well as the various ancient states employed professional entertainers which included not only dancers and musicians but also actors. The earliest court actors were likely clowns who pantomimed, danced, sang, and performed comedy. One of the most famous actors from this period

1580-619: The Shang dynasty (16th century BC?– c. 1046 BC). Oracle bone records reference rain dances performed by shamans , while the Book of Documents mentions shamanistic dancing and singing. For the Zhou dynasty ( c. 1046 BC – 256 BC), evidence from the Chu Ci suggests that in the 4th or 3rd century BC State of Chu , shamans performed with music and costumes. Some scholars have identified poems from

1659-611: The Six Dynasties period. During the Northern Qi Dynasty, a masked dance called the Big Face (大面, which can mean "mask", alternatively daimian 代面, and it was also called The King of Lanling, 蘭陵王), was created in honour of Gao Changgong who went into battle wearing a mask. Another was called Botou (撥頭, also 缽頭), a masked dance drama from the Western Regions that tells the story of a grieving son who sought

SECTION 20

#1732772593675

1738-604: The Six Gentlemen (六君子) and the Boxer Rebellion . Student plays proliferated, with students playing an important role in the development spoken theater (話劇, Huaju), and notable dramatists such as Cao Yu , Hong Shen , and Gao Xingjian began honed their craft on campus. Among the most important plays produced in the early period was Thunderstorm by Cao Yu. In the Republican era, Cantonese opera entered

1817-545: The Song dynasty (960–1279) and Yuan dynasty (1279–1368). Acts based on rhyming schemes and innovations such as specialized roles like Dan (旦, dàn, female), Sheng (生, shēng, male), Hua (花, huā, painted-face) and Chou (丑, chŏu, clown) were introduced into the opera. Although actors in theatrical performances of the Song Dynasty strictly adhered to speaking in Classical Chinese onstage, during

1896-566: The Tang dynasty where they further developed. For example, by the end of the Tang Dynasty the Canjun Opera had evolved into a performance with more complex plot and dramatic twists, and it involved at least four performers. The early form of Chinese theatre became more organized in the Tang dynasty with Emperor Xuanzong (712–755), who founded the " Pear Garden " (梨园/梨園; líyuán), the first academy of music to train musicians, dancers and actors. The performers formed what may be considered

1975-532: The nanxi rhythms which often used flute, and the northern zaju where plucked string instruments are preferred. The first Kunqu opera, Washing Silken Gauze (浣紗記, Huan Sha Ji ) was created by Liang Chenyu who used Kunshan tunes. Kunqu was regarded as an elegant part of the culture; it was promoted by scholars, and therefore became highly influential. In the Ming dynasty, southern yiyang tunes fused with Kunqu and spread widely. Yiyang tunes lacked formal rules,

2054-549: The 1940s, theater was well established in the Communist-controlled areas. In the early years of the People's Republic of China, development of Peking opera was encouraged; many new operas on historical and modern themes were written, and earlier operas continued to be performed. As a popular art form, opera has usually been the first of the arts to reflect changes in Chinese policy. In the mid-1950s, for example, it

2133-543: The 20th century, Chinese students returning from abroad began to experiment with Western plays. Following the May Fourth Movement of 1919, a number of Western plays were staged in China, and Chinese playwrights began to imitate this form. The most notable of the new-style playwrights was Cao Yu (b. 1910). His major works— Thunderstorm , Sunrise , Wilderness , and Peking Man —written between 1934 and 1940, have been widely read in China. The Republican Era saw

2212-834: The Chinese diaspora. Its popularity declined sharply in the second half of the 20th century as a result of both political and market factors. Language policies discouraging topolects in Taiwan and Singapore, official hostility against rural religious festivals in China, and de-Sinicization in Taiwan have all been blamed for the decline of various forms in different times, but overall the two major culprits were Cultural Revolution — which saw traditional culture systematically erased, innumerable theatre professionals viciously persecuted, and younger generation raised with far lesser exposure to Chinese opera – and modernization, with its immense social impact and imported values that Chinese opera has largely failed to counter. The total number of regional genres

2291-629: The Flower-Drum (花鼓) Opera, Flower-Lantern (花燈) Opera, Tea-Picking (採茶) Opera and Yangge Opera; for example, Huangxiao Flower-Drum opera of Hubei evolved into Chuju (楚劇) in Wuhan . Wuxi Opera, Shanghai Opera, and Shaoxing Opera on the other hand developed from a form of opera popular south of the Yangtze River called Tanhuang, while Pingju Opera formed from Lianhualao and Yangge in Hebei. By

2370-532: The Ming and early Qing dynasties was Kunqu , which originated in the Wu cultural area . A famous work in Kunqu is The Peony Pavilion by Tang Xianzu . Kunqu later evolved into a longer form of play called chuanqi , which became one of the five melodies that made up Sichuan opera . Currently Chinese operas continue to exist in 368 different forms, the best known being Beijing opera , which assumed its present form in

2449-595: The Pipa which became highly popular, and became a model for Ming dynasty drama as it was the favorite opera of the first Ming emperor Zhu Yuanzhang . The presentation at this point resembled the Chinese opera of today, except that the librettos were then very long. The operatic artists were required to be skilled in many fields; according to Recollections of Tao An (陶庵夢憶) by Zhang Dai , performers had to learn how to play various musical instruments, singing and dancing before they were taught acting. The dominant form of

Theatre of China - Misplaced Pages Continue

2528-658: The Song and Yuan dynasties was considered a low art form due to its unsophisticated literary style, and its plays were often written by anonymous authors. The first nanxi work with a known author is Tale of the Pipa by Gao Ming , written in the late Yuan period. Tale of the Pipa elevated the status of nanxi , and was highly regarded by the first Ming Emperor Hongwu . It became a model for Ming dynasty drama. Nanxi and other regional forms, such as such as Haiyan, Yuyao, an Yiyang tunes developed in Zhejiang, gradually replaced

2607-596: The West , Romance of the Three Kingdoms . In 2001, Kunqu was recognized as Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) Face paint plays a significant role in portraying the internal complexities of the performer's character with hundreds of combinations of colours and patterns. Below are some general meanings which may be further focused on extremely specific details depending on

2686-612: The Western Chamber by Wang Shifu ) was created from bianwen . In Southern Song, a form of play called nanxi or Xiwen (戲文) developed in Wenzhou from local folk customs and musical forms. This has a set length and a full narrative, and the actors performed with speech and songs. Nanxi spread widely in the Southern Song, and theatrical entertainment flourished in its capital Lin'an (present day Hangzhou ). Among

2765-567: The Yuan Dynasty actors speaking or performing lyrics in the vernacular tongue became popular on stage. In the Yuan poetic drama, only one person sang for all of the four acts, but in the poetic dramas that developed from Nanxi during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), all the characters were able to sing and perform. Playwright Gao Ming late in the Yuan dynasty wrote an opera called Tale of

2844-598: The Yuan dynasty became a more sophisticated form that has a four- or five-act structure with a prologue. Each act is a musical piece based on a different gongdiao . It was performed by courtesans for the amusement of court or local government officials. Zaju plays were focused on the principal male ( Sheng ) and female ( Dan ) characters, with the singing courtesans playing the main male or female characters, but some are played exclusively by male actors. Over time subcategories of male and female roles (such as lead and supporting roles, young, old or comic roles) also emerged. Among

2923-578: The actors with sound, often waiting for vocal cues or physical signals such as the stomp of a foot. Traditionally, musicians often performed from memory – a feat made even more impressive considering pieces or sections of compositions were subject to infinite variations and often repeated. The orchestra utilized a pentatonic scale until a 7-note scale was introduced by Mongolia during the Yuan Dynasty . The two extra notes functioned similarly to accidentals within western notation . The instruments in

3002-535: The actors, and some were trained actors themselves. The actors underwent strict training in singing, dancing, and role-playing techniques, which may take as long as eight years. While the performers were highly skilled, they were also regarded to be of low status in Ming society, as it was common practice for them to provide sexual services, both heterosexual and homosexual. Some actresses become their owners' wives or concubines The common career span for actors were ten years. When actors passed their teenage years, they had

3081-581: The awe of his military might throughout the Central States. When they divide up and advance in twos, it indicates that the enterprise has now been successfully accomplished. When they stand for a long time in their dancing positions, they are waiting for the arrival of the rulers of the various states. During the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD), a wrestling show called Horn-Butting Show ( Chinese : 角觝戲 ; pinyin : Jiǎodǐxì ) flourished and became one of

3160-635: The beginning of the Cultural Revolution . During the Cultural Revolution, most opera troupes were disbanded, performers and scriptwriters were persecuted, and all operas were banned except the eight "model operas" that had been sanctioned by Jiang Qing and her associates. Western-style plays were condemned as "dead drama" and "poisonous weeds", and were not performed. After the fall of the Gang of Four in 1976, Beijing Opera enjoyed

3239-509: The best-known dramatists of the period were Guan Hanqing (many of his works survive, including The Injustice to Dou E ), Wang Shifu (who wrote Romance of the Western Chamber ), Ma Zhiyuan (whose representative work is Autumn in Han Palace , 漢宮秋), Ji Junxiang (best known for The Orphan of Zhao ), and Bai Pu . Verses from Yuan zaju are considered one of the important forms of Chinese literature, yuanqu (元曲). The nanxi of

Theatre of China - Misplaced Pages Continue

3318-418: The earliest pieces of musical theatre in China, and the precursors to the more sophisticated later forms of Chinese opera. The Later Tang (923–937) founding emperor Li Cunxu (885–926) — who was of Shatuo extraction — was so passionate about theatre that he enjoyed acting himself. During his reign, he appointed three actors to prefect-ship and in the process alienated his army. In 926, after just 3 years on

3397-489: The earliest surviving scripts is Southern Song work, The No. 1 Scholar Zhang Xie (張協狀元). Specialised roles such as Dan (旦, dàn, female), Sheng (生, male), Jing (净,) and Chou (丑, clown) appeared in the Song era, and scripts referred to the roles such as the Dan or Sheng rather than the characters' names. A form of theatre known as zaju began to be developed in the Song and Jin dynasties. Song and Jin zaju

3476-552: The early 20th century, non-singing theatrical forms began to appear under the influence of Western dramas and stage plays. Shanghai, where Western drama was first staged by Western expatriate communities in China in 1850, was the birthplace of modern Chinese stage plays. Students of St. John's College were known to have performed the first modern Chinese play A Shameful Story About Officialdom (官场丑事, Guan Chang Chou Shi' ) in 1899, and in 1900, students of Nanyang College staged three plays based on contemporary events, such as one based on

3555-741: The economic centre that came to rival the north from Tang dynasty onwards. Buddhism , which first reached China via the Silk Road during the Eastern Han dynasty , flourished in the Six Dynasties (and simultaneously in the Northern Dynasties) and has been a major religion in China ever since. The Japanese scholar Tanigawa Michio analysed the Six Dynasties period to test general theories of China's historical development. Some thinkers, Tanigawa writes, argue that China followed

3634-432: The facial location of the colour. The musical components of Chinese opera are created as an inseparable entity from voice and dance/movement. Both the musicians and the actors contribute to composing musical accompaniment. This collaborative process is reflected within the production by the immaculate synchronicity between the actors' movements and the sounds of the orchestra. The musicians are required to flawlessly support

3713-538: The first known opera troupe in China, and they performed mostly for the emperors' personal pleasure. To this day operatic professionals are still referred to as "Disciples of the Pear Garden" (梨园弟子 / 梨園弟子, líyuán dìzi). By the Song Dynasty, Canjun Opera had become a performance that involved singing and dancing, and led to the development of Zaju (雜劇). Forms such as the Zaju and Nanxi (南戏) further matured in

3792-501: The forerunners of the fixed role categories of later Chinese opera, particularly of its comic chou (丑) characters. Various song and dance dramas developed during the Six Dynasties period. During the Northern Qi dynasty, a masked dance called the Big Face (大面, which can mean "mask", alternatively daimian 代面, and it was also called The Prince of Lanling , 蘭陵王), was created in honour of Gao Changgong who went into battle wearing

3871-424: The freedom to retire. Professional public troupes did not thrive until Ming elite class started to collapse. Due to the Ming's Confucian influence of gender separation, public theatres were dominated by males. Confucian influences extended to the plays; Ming plays often conveyed Confucian teachings, especially in private theatre troupes. For instance, as women desired more equality towards late Ming, Wang Tingne wrote

3950-439: The hall, And golden hair pins dancing by night alongside of flowery lutes? A fragrance breeze flutters the sleeve and a red haze arises, While jade wrists flit round and round in mazy flight." During the dynasty of Empress Ping, shadow puppetry first emerged as a recognized form of theatre in China. There were two distinct forms of shadow puppetry, Pekingese (northern) and Cantonese (southern). The two styles were differentiated by

4029-482: The homes of higher-ranking ministers during this period. An early form of Chinese drama is the Canjun Opera (參軍戲, or Adjutant Play) which originated from the Later Zhao dynasty (319–351). In its early form, it was a simple comic drama involving only two performers, where a corrupt officer, Canjun or the adjutant , was ridiculed by a jester named Grey Hawk (蒼鶻). The characters in Canjun Opera are thought to be

SECTION 50

#1732772593675

4108-492: The illiterate masses, but became popular entertainment during the Song dynasty. The narrative ballad and story-telling forms influenced Song dramas. Buddhist stories such as Mulian Rescues His Mother became themes in plays, and the one on Mulian was the first Chinese drama of great length. The Romance of the Western Chamber Zhu Gongdiao (西廂記諸宮調) by Dong Jieyuan (董解元) (later adapted into Romance of

4187-439: The method of making the puppets and the positioning of the rods on the puppets , as opposed to the type of play performed by the puppets. Both styles generally performed plays depicting great adventure and fantasy, rarely was this very stylized form of theatre used for political propaganda. Cantonese shadow puppets were the larger of the two. They were built using thick leather which created more substantial shadows. Symbolic color

4266-449: The mid-19th century and was extremely popular in the latter part of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). In Beijing opera, traditional Chinese string and percussion instruments provide a strong rhythmic accompaniment to the acting. The acting is based on allusion: gestures, footwork, and other body movements express such actions as riding a horse, rowing a boat, or opening a door. Spoken dialogue

4345-759: The most popular. Hanju Opera, popular along the Yangtze River and Hanshui , also became popular, and the mixing of Huizhou and Hanju produced the Peking Opera. Peking opera inherited many stories form Kunqu opera, but other styles of opera, such as the Clapper opera, which were popular with the common people had greater influence on its development. Teahouses which sprang up in Beijing staged Peking operas. The popularity of Kunqu, referred to as Yabu (雅部, "elegant drama"), declined as it came under competition from

4424-436: The music and topolect ; the stories are often shared and borrowed. With few exceptions (such as revolutionary operas and to some extent Shanghai operas ) the vast majority of Chinese operas (including Taiwanese operas ) are set in China before the 17th century, whether they are traditional or newly written. For centuries, Chinese opera was the main form of entertainment for both urban and rural residents in China as well as

4503-409: The necks to facilitate the use of multiple heads with one body. When the heads were not being used, they were stored in a muslin book or fabric lined box. The heads were always removed at night. This was in keeping with the old superstition that if left intact, the puppets would come to life at night. Some puppeteers went so far as to store the heads in one box and the bodies in another, to further reduce

4582-454: The northern zaju , and by the middle of the Ming dynasty, nanxi had developed into a more complex dramatic form known as chuanqi , which further developed into Kunqu Opera. The Ming dynasty play writers were mostly educated and hold relatively high social status, and chuanqi works were created mainly by scholars. Wei Liangfu created Kunshan tunes modified from tunes of Haiyan from near Hangzhou and Yiyang of Jiangxi, and he combined

4661-485: The orchestra were divided into two categories: Traditional Chinese string instruments used in Chinese Opera include: Traditional Chinese percussion instruments used in Chinese Opera include: Traditional Chinese woodwind instruments used in Chinese Opera include: The Peking opera subgenre is the focal point of the 1988 play M. Butterfly , in which a spy for the Chinese government disguises himself as

4740-639: The palace. Ming theatre, however, had less freedom than the previous dynasty, Yuan. In the Yuan and early Song period, some plays may include a role of the emperor, however, Ming Emperor Taizu prohibited actors from impersonating any imperial members, high officials, or well-respected figures, although such restrictions were not always observed by opera troupes who performed for commoners in public theatre. Private theatre troupes featured prominently during Ming China, and government officials, rich merchants, and eunuchs may manage private theatre troupes to entertainment guests in stages built in their private residences, or

4819-669: The patronage of Crown Prince Xiao Gang (Later Emperor Jian Wen) of the Liang dynasty . Also significant, is the Zi Ye , or " Lady Midnight " style, supposedly originating with an eponymously named fourth-century professional singer of the Jin dynasty . The Six Dynasties period was the first time in history that the political centre of China was located in the south, which spurred a surge in population as well as economic and cultural development. This transformed southern China from remote territories to

SECTION 60

#1732772593675

4898-399: The possibility of reanimating puppets. Shadow puppetry is said to have reached its highest point of artistic development in the seventh century before becoming a tool of the government. Xiangsheng is a style of traditional Chinese comedic performance in the form of a monologue or dialogue. Chinese performers usually clap with the audience at the end of a performance; the return applause is

4977-465: The revolutionary energy of the current sociopolitical climate. This operatic style built its foundation from the folk traditions of the rural community while also becoming influenced by European music. Opera may be used as commentaries on political affairs, and in November 1965, the attack on Beijing deputy mayor Wu Han and his historical play Hai Rui Dismissed from Office as anti- Mao , signaled

5056-464: The rise of Yue opera and all female Yue Opera troupes in Shanghai and Zhejiang. A woman-centric form, with all female casts and majority female audience members, plots were often love stories. Its rise was related to the changing place of women in society.    In the 1930s, theatrical productions performed by traveling Red Army cultural troupes in Communist-controlled areas were consciously used to promote party goals and political philosophy. By

5135-596: The roles. Exaggerated features and colors made it easier for the audience to identify the roles portrayed. There are over a hundred regional branches of traditional Chinese opera today. In the 20th century, the Peking opera emerged in popularity and has come to known as the "national theatre" of China, but other genres like Yue opera , Cantonese opera , Yu opera , kunqu , qinqiang , Huangmei opera , pingju , and Sichuan opera are also performed regularly before dedicated fans. Their differences are mainly found in

5214-484: The set European pattern which Marxists and liberal thinkers thought to be universal, that is, from ancient slavery to medieval feudalism to modern capitalism, while others argue that "Chinese society was extraordinarily saturated with stagnancy, as compared to the West, and they assume that it existed in a qualitatively different historical world from Western society." That is, there an argument between those who see "uni-linear, monistic world history" and those who conceive of

5293-648: The so-called "Hundred Shows" (百戲) under Emperor Wu (reigned 141–87 BC). While most probably this was also a spectator sport, both textual and archaeological evidence suggests that performers were dressed in fixed roles and performed according to a plot. One such story the wrestlers re-enacted was the battle between a tiger and a magician named "Lord Huang from the East Sea" (東海黃公). Han-period murals discovered from an aristocratic tomb in Dahuting , Xinmi , Henan , offer strong proof that entertainers performed at banquets in

5372-429: The spoken drama ( simplified Chinese : 话剧 ; traditional Chinese : 話劇 ; pinyin : Huàjù ) of the transatlantic stage. Sleeve movements were an important feature of dancing technique in ancient China and were considered essential to add the grace of the performer. There are many references to the beauty of a dancer's sleeves to be found in old Chinese poems . "What festival is this, with lamps filling in

5451-518: The style of Chinese opera The Divine Damsel of Devastation , which went viral as it was the first time many people around the world have heard Chinese opera. Even Yang Yang, the Chinese voice of Yun Jin , was surprised about it. In the 2022 film Everything Everywhere All at Once , one of Evelyn's multiverse counterparts became a prodigious Chinese opera singer after being blinded in a childhood accident. Evelyn assimilates this version's abilities to improve her self-confidence and breath control during

5530-500: The throne, he was killed in a mutiny led by a former actor named Guo Congqian . In the Song dynasty , popular plays involving drama and music began to be developed, and by the 12th century, the term xìqǔ (戲曲) to mean Chinese opera began to be used this new form of theatrical entertainment. The development of theatre during the Song dynasty may also have been influenced by a Tang Buddhist tradition bianwen (變文), which mixed speech with song and used by monks to communicate Buddhist idea to

5609-472: The ultimate goal of creating a character. During the Qing dynasty, Peking opera became popular. Peking opera developed from different opera styles. In 1790. various local opera troupes performed in Beijing in celebration of the 55th year of Qianlong Emperor 's reign. The Huizhou opera troupes, which performed operas with diverse tune patterns including Kunqu, Clapper Opera and the Erhuang melody prove to be

5688-506: Was You Meng or Jester Meng (優孟), a giant who served King Zhuang of Chu (reigned 613–591 BC). After meeting the impoverished son of Sunshu Ao , the late prime minister of Chu, he is said to have spent a year imitating Sunshu Ao's speech and mannerism. Finally he performed his role at a banquet and successfully appealed to King Zhuang who then granted land to Sunshu Ao's son. Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian contains

5767-530: Was a small-scale comic form of theatre, and was distinct from Yuan zaju with its own independent development. Music is incidental to Song Jin zaju with incomplete narratives. Zaju became the dominant form of theatre during the Yuan dynasty in major cities such as Kaifeng , Luoyang and Lin'an. Yuan dynasty zaju was also known as Northern tune (北曲) to distinguish it from the Southern form nanxi . Zaju in

5846-441: Was also very prevalent; a black face represented honesty, a red one bravery. The rods used to control Cantonese puppets were attached perpendicular to the puppets' heads. Thus, they were not seen by the audience when the shadow was created. Pekingese puppets were more delicate and smaller. They were created out of thin, translucent leather (usually taken from the belly of a peacock). They were painted with vibrant paints, thus they cast

5925-464: Was determined to be more than 350 in 1957, but in the 21st century the Chinese government could only identify 162 forms for its intangible cultural heritage list, with many of them in immediate danger of disappearing. For young people, Chinese opera is no longer part of the everyday popular music culture, but it remains an attraction for many older people who find in it, among other things, a national or regional identity. An early form of Chinese drama

6004-422: Was facilitated by a Shaanxi rebel Li Zicheng who ended the Ming dynasty, later influencing the development of Peking Opera during the Qing dynasty. During the Ming period (1368-1644), Chinese theatre may be divided into three categories by audience: imperial court, social elite, and the general public. The Ming imperial court enjoyed opera, and Ming emperors generally kept their music entertainments within

6083-463: Was more uninhibited and exciting, therefore more appealing to the local classes and easily fused with local musical styles and produced many high-pitched tunes in numerous local operas. Another important development was the emergence of Shaanxi Opera in the Northwest with a two-phrase structure and clapper-based instrumentation, introducing a new form of musical style called banqiang (板腔). Its spread

6162-545: Was organized where numerous operas from around country as well as operas identified as "model plays" were performed. Opera was modified, and Model opera with political message was created. The first Model Opera was Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy . By the Cultural Revolution , Model opera had monopolized the theatre. However, after the Cultural Revolution, traditional forms were revived and with less restrictions, new plays influenced by Western theatre also began to be staged. Modern Chinese theatre and drama has changed quite

6241-595: Was the first to benefit under the Hundred Flowers Campaign , such as the birth of Jilin opera . In 1954 there were approximately 2000 government-sponsored opera troupes working throughout China each consisting of 50–100 professional performers. Despite its popularity, Peking opera made up a small percentage of these troupes. After the Chinese Communist Revolution a new genre emerged known as Schinggo opera which encompassed

#674325