149-632: Kunqu ( Chinese : 崑曲 ), also known as Kunju ( 崑劇 ), K'un-ch'ü , Kun opera or Kunqu Opera , is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera . It evolved from a music style local to Kunshan , part of the Wu cultural area , and later came to dominate Chinese theater from the 16th to the 18th centuries. It has been listed as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO . Wei Liangfu [ zh ] refined
298-428: A bed. Peripheral objects will often be used to signify the presence of a larger, main object. For example, a whip is used to indicate a horse and an oar symbolizes a boat. The length and internal structure of Peking-opera plays is highly variable. Prior to 1949, zhezixi , short plays or plays made up of short scenes from longer plays, were often performed. These plays usually center on one simple situation or feature
447-509: A certain extent in South Korea , remain virtually identical to traditional characters, with variations between the two forms largely stylistic. There has historically been a debate on traditional and simplified Chinese characters . Because the simplifications are fairly systematic, it is possible to convert computer-encoded characters between the two sets, with the main issue being ambiguities in simplified representations resulting from
596-513: A complete and unique performance system of Kunqu Opera in terms of characterizing characters, expressing characters' psychological states, rendering drama and enhancing appeal. It includes three aspects: rich clothing styles, exquisite colors and decorations, and the use of faces [ zh ] . In addition to inheriting the costume styles of opera characters since the Yuan and Ming dynasties, some costumes of Kunqu opera are very similar to
745-532: A complex character played by a skilled actor, and wujing , a martial and acrobatic character. The Chou ( 丑 ) is a male clown role. The Chou usually plays secondary roles in a troupe. Indeed, most studies of Beijing opera classify the Chou as a minor role. The name of the role is a homophone of the Mandarin Chinese word chou , meaning "ugly". This reflects the traditional belief that
894-551: A component of the whole revolutionary machine". To this end, dramatic works without Communist themes were considered subversive, and were ultimately banned during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976). The use of opera as a tool to transmit communist ideology reached its climax in the Cultural Revolution, under the purview of Jiang Qing , wife of Mao Zedong . The "model operas" were considered one of
1043-584: A controversial subject both before and during the Twelfth National People's Congress in 1982. A study carried in the People's Daily revealed that over 80 percent of musical dramas staged in the country were traditional plays from the pre-Communist era, as opposed to newly written historical dramas promoting socialist values. In response, Communist party officials enacted reforms to curb liberalism and foreign influence in theatrical works. After
1192-577: A few large class clubs have 27 actors. General class club as long as ten doors complete, can perform, other roles can be replaced by close to the door of the actor, the ten basic door is known as the "ten court column," they are: net, official health, cloth health, old age, end, Zhengdan, five Dan, six Dan, vice, ugly. Some of the most readily recognizable qualities of performance are: net, old, official students, Zhengdan four doors. Each line of Kun opera has developed its own set of procedures and techniques in performance. These stylized action language has formed
1341-559: A focus area in its Theatre and Performance Studies program and has regular Jingju performances, the most recent being Lady Mu and the Yang Family Generals in 2014. The Sheng ( 生 ) is the main male role in Beijing opera. This role has numerous subtypes. The laosheng is a dignified older role. These characters have a gentle and cultivated disposition and wear sensible costumes. One type of laosheng role
1490-455: A folding drama with a strong story. Adapted to the needs of the performance venue with strong lyricism and movement, many lyrical dance performances have been created, which have become the main performance means of many single-fold lyric song and dance. The Nianbai of Kunqu Opera is also very characteristic, because Kunqu Opera was developed from Wuzhong, so its voice has the characteristics of Wu Nong soft language. Among them, Harlequin also has
1639-452: A general feeling of a shift in the creative attribution of Peking-opera works. The performer has traditionally played a large role in the scripting and staging of Peking-opera works. However, perhaps following the lead of the West, Peking opera in recent decades has shifted to a more director and playwright-centered model. Performers have striven to introduce innovation in their work while heeding
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#17327721893421788-533: A greater emphasis on action and combat skill. The two types of play also feature different arrays of performers. Martial plays predominantly feature young sheng , jing , and chou , while civil plays have a greater need for older roles and dan . In addition to being civil or martial, plays are also classified as either daxi (serious) or xiaoxi (light). The performance elements and performers used in serious and light plays greatly resemble those used in martial and civil plays, respectively. Of course,
1937-578: A greater freedom to experiment. Regional, popular, and foreign techniques have been adopted, including Western-style makeup and beards and new face paint designs for Jing characters. The spirit of reform continued during the 1990s. To survive in an increasingly open market, troupes like the Shanghai Peking Opera Company needed to bring traditional Peking opera to new audiences. To do this, they have offered an increasing number of free performances in public areas. There has also been
2086-572: A local white based on the Wu dialect, such as Su Bai, Yangzhou Bai , etc. This market language in the Wuzhong area , has a strong sense of life, and often uses Allegro-style rhyme white, which is very distinctive. In addition, the singing of Kunqu opera has extremely strict specifications for the sound of words, lines, rhythm, etc., forming a complete singing theory. Kunqu opera is divided into three categories: sinian horn, fresh horn and pure clown. Because
2235-521: A long history, Peking opera has indeed been studied more and received more monetary support than other forms of theater in Taiwan. However, there has also been a competing movement towards advocating native opera to differentiate Taiwan from the mainland. In September 1990, when the Kuomintang government participated in a state-sponsored mainland cultural event for the first time, a Taiwanese opera group
2384-468: A male Dan performer in the Qing court, developed the cai ciao , or "false foot" technique, to simulate the bound feet of women and the characteristic gait that resulted from the practice. The ban on female performers also led to a controversial form of brothel, known as the xianggong tangzi , in which men paid to have sex with young boys dressed as females. Ironically, the performing skills taught to
2533-591: A representative opera of the whole nation. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty , the development of Kunqu opera entered its heyday, and since then Kunqu opera has begun to dominate the pear garden, which has lasted for six or seven hundred years, becoming the oldest existing form of opera with a long tradition in China and even the world. The Kunshan singing began to spread its area, initially limited to
2682-460: A selection of scenes designed to include all four of the main Peking opera skills and showcase the virtuosity of the performers. This format has become less prevalent in recent times, but plays of one act are still performed. These short works, as well as individual scenes within longer works, are marked by an emotional progression from the beginning of the play to the end. For example, the concubine in
2831-488: A simple gown with patches of embroidery on both the front and back. All other characters, and officials on informal occasions, wear the chezi , a basic gown with varying levels of embroidery and no jade girdle to denote rank. All three types of gowns have water sleeves , long flowing sleeves that can be flicked and waved like water, attached to facilitate emotive gestures. Tertiary characters of no rank wear simple clothing without embroidery. Hats are intended to blend in with
2980-424: A song ends in a level tone. Songs in Peking opera are proscribed by a set of common aesthetic values. A majority of songs are within a pitch range of an octave and a fifth. High pitch is a positive aesthetic value, so a performer will pitch songs at the very top of their vocal range. For this reason, the idea of a song's key has value in Peking opera only as a technical tool for the performer. Different performers in
3129-403: A suggestion from Jiang Qing. Performances of works beyond the eight model plays were allowed only in heavily modified form. The endings of many traditional plays were changed, and visible stage assistants in Peking opera were eliminated. After the end of the Cultural Revolution in the late 1970s, traditional Peking opera began to be performed again. Peking opera and other theatrical art forms were
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#17327721893423278-527: A superb dance move , but also an effective means to express the character's character and the meaning of the lyrics . The opera dance of Kunqu Opera has absorbed and inherited the traditions of ancient folk dance and court dance , and has accumulated rich experience in the close integration of rap and dance through long-term stage performance practice. To meet the needs of the performance venue of narrative writing, many dance performances that focus on description are created, and cooperate with "drama" to become
3427-494: A supporting character, and describes their present situation and state of mind. Finally, there is the recapitulation speech, in which a character will use prose to recount the story up to that point. These speeches came about as a result of the zhezixi tradition of performing only one part of a larger play. There are six main types of song lyrics in Peking opera: emotive, condemnatory, narrative, descriptive, disputive, and "shared space separate sensations" lyrics. Each type uses
3576-514: A synthesis between the different aspects of Peking opera. The four skills of Peking opera are not separate, but rather should be combined in a single performance. One skill may take precedence at certain moments during a play, but this does not mean that other actions should cease. Much attention is paid to tradition in the art form, and gestures, settings, music, and character types are determined by long-held convention. This includes conventions of movement, which are used to signal particular actions to
3725-565: A variety of operas (e.g. Shaanxi Opera, Clapper Opera, Yiyang tunes, Peking Opera , etc.) termed Huabu (花部, "flowery drama"), and as a result, Kunqu troupes experienced a commercial decline in the 19th century. In the early 20th century, the elite tried to re-establish Kunqu, and the Academy was founded in 1921 to train performers.</ref> It was later subsidized by the Communist state , but like most traditional forms of Chinese opera, Kunqu
3874-462: A venue for their talents when Li Maoer, himself a former Peking-opera performer, founded the first female Peking-opera troupe in Shanghai. By 1894, the first commercial venue showcasing female performance troupes appeared in Shanghai. This encouraged other female troupes to form, which gradually increased in popularity. As a result, theatre artist Yu Zhenting petitioned for the lifting of the ban after
4023-414: Is xinbian de lishixi , historical plays written after 1949. This type of play was not produced at all during the Cultural Revolution, but is a major focus today. The final category is xiandaixi , contemporary plays. The subject matter of these plays is taken from the 20th century and beyond. Contemporary productions are also frequently experimental in nature, and may incorporate Western influences. In
4172-818: Is 産 (also the accepted form in Japan and Korea), while in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan the accepted form is 產 (also the accepted form in Vietnamese chữ Nôm ). The PRC tends to print material intended for people in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and overseas Chinese in traditional characters. For example, versions of the People's Daily are printed in traditional characters, and both People's Daily and Xinhua have traditional character versions of their website available, using Big5 encoding. Mainland companies selling products in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan use traditional characters in order to communicate with consumers;
4321-591: Is a retronym applied to non-simplified character sets in the wake of widespread use of simplified characters. Traditional characters are commonly used in Taiwan , Hong Kong , and Macau , as well as in most overseas Chinese communities outside of Southeast Asia. As for non-Chinese languages written using Chinese characters, Japanese kanji include many simplified characters known as shinjitai standardized after World War II, sometimes distinct from their simplified Chinese counterparts . Korean hanja , still used to
4470-495: Is a Kunqu opera spread in the Jinhua area of Zhejiang . It is called "Cao Kun" because of its simplification or change of local customs in language and melody. Because of the long-term floating performances in rural grasslands and temple fairs, farmers as the main audience, the language is more popular, the pursuit of plot twists and turns, singing tone is not rigidly four-tone style, mainly performing martial arts, work drama. Since
4619-556: Is a rarity in the traditional culture and art of the Han nationality in China, especially in the art of opera. It is called an "orchid" in the hundred gardens. Kunqu Opera is a blend of singing, dancing and martial arts. It is known for its elegant lyrics, graceful style and delicate performance. It is one of the operas under the Southern Opera system, known as the "ancestor of hundred operas." Kunqu Opera uses drum and plate to control
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4768-428: Is a slow, unhurried process of breathing out old air and taking in new. It is used at moments when the performer is not under time constraint, such as during a purely instrumental musical passage or when another character is speaking. "Stealing breath" is a sharp intake of air without prior exhalation, and is used during long passages of prose or song when a pause would be undesirable. Both techniques should be invisible to
4917-407: Is a small patch of white chalk around the nose. This can represent either a mean and secretive nature or a quick wit. Beneath the whimsical persona of the Chou , a serious connection to the form of Beijing opera exists. The Chou is the character most connected to the guban , the drums and clapper commonly used for musical accompaniment during performances. The Chou actor often uses
5066-611: Is based in the pubic region and supported by the abdominal muscles. Performers follow the basic principle that "strong centralized breath moves the melodic-passages" ( zhong qi xing xiang ). Breath is visualized as being drawn up through a central breathing cavity extending from the pubic region to the top of the head. This "cavity" must be under performers' control at all times, and they develop special techniques to control both entering and exiting air. The two major methods of taking in breath are known as "exchanging breath" ( huan qi ) and "stealing breath" ( tou qi ). "Exchanging breath"
5215-416: Is called a mang , or python robe. It is a costume suitable for the high rank of the character, featuring brilliant colors and rich embroidery, often in the design of a dragon. Persons of high rank or virtue wear red, lower-ranking officials wear blue, young characters wear white, the old wear white, brown, or olive, and all other men wear black. On formal occasions, lower officials may wear the kuan yi ,
5364-483: Is combat, which includes both acrobatics and fighting with all manner of weaponry. All of these skills are expected to be performed effortlessly, in keeping with the spirit of the art form. Peking opera follows other traditional Chinese arts in emphasizing meaning, rather than accuracy. The highest aim of performers is to put beauty into every motion. Indeed, performers are strictly criticized for lacking beauty during training. Additionally, performers are taught to create
5513-846: Is commonly used to tell joyous stories. In Erhuang , on the other hand, the strings are tuned to the keys of C and G. This reflects the low, soft, and despondent folk tunes of south-central Hubei province, the style's place of origin. As a result, it is used for lyrical stories. Both musical styles have a standard meter of two beats per bar. The two musical styles share six different tempos, including manban (a slow tempo), yuanban (a standard, medium-fast tempo), kuai sanyan ("leading beat"), daoban ("leading beat"), sanban ("rubato beat"), and yaoban ("shaking beat"). The xipi style also uses several unique tempos, including erliu ("two-six"), and kuaiban (a fast tempo). Of these tempos, yuanban , manban , and kuaiban are most commonly seen. The tempo at any given time
5662-462: Is conceived of as being composed of "four levels of song": songs with music, verse recitation, prose dialogue, and non-verbal vocalizations. The conception of a sliding scale of vocalization creates a sense of smooth continuity between songs and speech. The three basic categories of vocal production technique are the use of breath ( yongqi ), pronunciation ( fayin ), and special Peking-opera pronunciation ( shangkouzi ). In Chinese opera, breath
5811-538: Is conceptualized as shaping the throat and mouth into the shape necessary to produce the desired vowel sound, and clearly articulating the initial consonant. There are four basic shapes for the throat and mouth, corresponding to four vowel types, and five methods of articulating consonants, one for each type of consonant. The four throat and mouth shapes are "opened-mouth" ( kaikou ), "level-teeth" ( qichi ), "closed-mouth" ( hekou or huokou ), and "scooped-lips" ( cuochun ). The five consonant types are denoted by
5960-406: Is considered a license of the role, and the orchestra will accompany the Chou actor even as he bursts into an unscripted folk song. However, due to the standardization of Beijing opera and political pressure from government authorities, Chou improvisation has lessened in recent years. The Chou has a vocal timbre that is distinct from other characters, as the character will often speak in
6109-457: Is controlled by a percussion player who acts as director. Erhuang has been seen as more improvisational, and Xipi as more tranquil. The lack of defined standards among performance troupes and the passage of time may have made the two styles more similar to each other today. The melodies played by the accompaniment mainly fall into three broad categories. The first is the aria. The arias of Peking opera can be further divided into those of
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6258-511: Is generally regarded as having fully formed by 1845. Although it is called Peking opera (Beijing theatre style), its origins are in the greater areas of the capital of Anhui province (the City of Anqing ), including southern Anhui and eastern Hubei , which share the similar dialect of Xiajiang Mandarin (Lower Yangtze Mandarin). Peking opera's two main melodies , Xipi and Erhuang . Xipi literally means "skin puppet show", referring to
6407-422: Is given, which includes a prelude poem, a set-the-scene poem, and a prose set-the-scene speech, in that order. The style and structure of each entrance speech is inherited from earlier Yuan dynasty , Ming dynasty , folk, and regional forms of Chinese opera. Another conventionalized stage speech is the exit speech, which may take the form of a poem followed by a single spoken line. This speech is usually delivered by
6556-652: Is in the Anhui dialect, rather than the Standard Chinese ni . 我 , meaning " I " and pronounced wo in Standard Chinese, becomes ngo , as it is pronounced in the dialect of Suzhou . In addition to pronunciation differences that are due to the influence of regional forms, the readings of some characters have been changed to promote ease of performance or vocal variety. For example, zhi , chi , shi , and ri sounds do not carry well and are difficult to sustain, because they are produced far back in
6705-450: Is not the geographical location of the troupe, but whether the music is southern or northern. Kunqu Qupai music can be divided into vocal qupai and instrumental Qupai according to its different uses. The biggest feature of Kunqu opera performance is strong lyricism, delicate movements, and the combination of singing and dancing is ingenious and harmonious. Kunqu opera is a comprehensive art of song, dance, mediation, and white performance, and
6854-621: Is often believed to have been developed during the Ming Dynasty by Wei Liangfu [ zh ] (魏良輔), who was from the port of Taicang . A more recent discovery, however, suggests that Kunshan tune was introduced in the late Yuan dynasty by Gu Jian (顾坚), who developed an early form of Kunqu with a group of musicians in Kunshan. Wei modified Kunshan tune with songs of Haiyan (海鹽) near Hangzhou and Yiyang (弋陽) of Jiangxi ; he also combined nanxi rhythms, which often used flute, with
7003-471: Is roundness. Every motion and pose is carefully manipulated to avoid sharp angles and straight lines. A character looking upon an object above them will sweep their eyes in a circular motion from low to high before landing on the object. Similarly, a character will sweep their hand in an arc from left to right in order to indicate an object on the right. This avoidance of sharp angles extends to three-dimensional movement as well; reversals of orientation often take
7152-444: Is summed up by the expression zi zheng qiang yuan , meaning that the written characters should be delivered accurately and precisely, and the melodic passages should be weaving, or "round". The accompaniment for a Peking opera performance usually consists of a small ensemble of traditional melodic and percussion instruments. The lead melodic instrument is the jinghu , a small, high-pitched, two-string spike fiddle. The jinghu
7301-473: Is the hongsheng , a red-faced older male. The only two hongsheng roles are Guan Gong , the Chinese God of War, and Zhao Kuang-yin , the first Song dynasty emperor. Young male characters are known as xiaosheng . These characters sing in a high, shrill voice with occasional breaks to represent the voice changing period of adolescence. Depending on the character's rank in society, the costume of
7450-509: Is the base for inheriting excellent traditional Chinese culture in Kunqu. Kunqu takes drum and board to control the rhythm of singing, with Qu flute , three strings and so on as the main accompanying instrument; its singing pronunciation is "Zhongzhou Rhyme." Kunqu refers to Kunshan tune (昆山腔, Kūnshān qiāng ), a repertory of songs and performances from Kunshan in Suzhou . The Kunshan tune
7599-514: Is the conductor of the entire ensemble. The two main musical styles of Peking opera, Xipi and Erhuang , originally differed in subtle ways. In the Xipi style, the strings of the jinghu are tuned to the keys of A and D. The melodies in this style are very disjointed, possibly reflecting the style's derivation from the high and loud melodies of the Qinqiang opera of northwestern China. It
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#17327721893427748-435: Is the oldest existing drama form in China with a complete performance system, which has had a profound influence on later Chinese operas. Chinese opera has been spreading on the stage since its formation. With the change of time, the script, the voice and the performance are constantly changing. Kunqu Opera, on the other hand, is known as a "living fossil" with less changes and more traditional features of traditional operas. It
7897-466: Is the only one of the three ancient operas in the world that has been preserved so far. It is also the representative of the traditional culture and art of the Han nationality. Due to the extensive performance activities of Kunban, in the last years of Wanli, Kunqu opera was introduced to Beijing and Hunan through Yangzhou , ranking first among all voices and becoming the standard singing tone of legendary scripts: "Four Square Songs Must Zong Wumen." At
8046-460: Is the primary accompaniment for performers during songs. Accompaniment is heterophonic – the jinghu player follows the basic contours of the song's melody, but diverges in pitch and other elements. The jinghu often plays more notes per measure than the performer sings, and does so an octave lower. During rehearsal, the jinghu player adopts their own signature version of the song's melody, but also must adapt to spontaneous improvisations on
8195-492: The Erhuang and Xipi varieties. An example of an aria is wawa diao , an aria in the Xipi style that is sung by a young Sheng to indicate heightened emotion. The second type of melody heard in Peking opera is the fixed-tune melody, or qupai . These are instrumental tunes that serve a wider range of purposes than arias. Examples include the "Water Dragon Tune" ( 水龍吟 ; Shuǐlóng Yín ), which generally denotes
8344-406: The Xipi musical form was derived from the historic Qinqiang , while many conventions of staging, performance elements, and aesthetic principles were retained from Kunqu , the form that preceded it as court art. Thus, Peking opera is not a monolithic form, but rather a coalescence of many older forms. However, the new form also creates its own innovations. The vocal requirements for all of
8493-407: The guban in solo performance, especially when performing Shu Ban , light-hearted verses spoken for comedic effect. The clown is also connected to the small gong and cymbals , percussion instruments that symbolize the lower classes and the raucous atmosphere inspired by the role. Although Chou characters do not sing frequently, their arias feature large amounts of improvisation . This
8642-541: The xiaosheng may be either elaborate or simple. Off-stage, xiaosheng actors are often involved with beautiful women by virtue of the handsome and young image they project. The wusheng is a martial character for roles involving combat. They are highly trained in acrobatics, and have a natural voice when singing. Troupes will always have a laosheng actor. A xiaosheng actor may also be added to play roles fitting to his age. In addition to these main Sheng ,
8791-418: The xīpí ( 西皮 ) and èrhuáng ( 二黄 ) styles. Melodies include arias , fixed-tune melodies and percussion patterns. The repertoire of Peking opera includes over 1,400 works, which are based on Chinese history , folklore and, increasingly, contemporary life. Traditional Peking opera was denounced as "feudalistic" and "bourgeois" during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and replaced mostly with
8940-493: The Chinese Commercial News , World News , and United Daily News all use traditional characters, as do some Hong Kong–based magazines such as Yazhou Zhoukan . The Philippine Chinese Daily uses simplified characters. DVDs are usually subtitled using traditional characters, influenced by media from Taiwan as well as by the two countries sharing the same DVD region , 3. With most having immigrated to
9089-610: The Standard Form of National Characters . These forms were predominant in written Chinese until the middle of the 20th century, when various countries that use Chinese characters began standardizing simplified sets of characters, often with characters that existed before as well-known variants of the predominant forms. Simplified characters as codified by the People's Republic of China are predominantly used in mainland China , Malaysia, and Singapore. "Traditional" as such
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#17327721893429238-517: The Kensiu language . Peking Opera Peking opera , or Beijing opera ( Chinese : 京劇 ; pinyin : Jīngjù ), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera , which combines instrumental music, vocal performance, mime, martial arts, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid- Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century. The form
9387-708: The Mei Lanfang school, the Cheng Yanqiu school, the Ma Lianliang school, and the Qi Lintong school. Students previously trained exclusively in the art of performance, but modern performance schools now include academic studies as well. Teachers assess the qualifications of each student and assign them roles as primary, secondary, or tertiary characters accordingly. Students with little acting talent often become Peking opera musicians. They may also serve as
9536-465: The Ming Dynasty , it has been regarded as the authentic opera of Wu opera . In fact, Kunqu Opera is a tributary of Quzhou and Jinhua . Traditional Chinese characters Traditional Chinese characters are a standard set of Chinese character forms used to write Chinese languages . In Taiwan , the set of traditional characters is regulated by the Ministry of Education and standardized in
9685-573: The Shanghainese -language character U+20C8E 𠲎 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-20C8E —a composition of 伐 with the ⼝ 'MOUTH' radical—used instead of the Standard Chinese 嗎 ; 吗 . Typefaces often use the initialism TC to signify the use of traditional Chinese characters, as well as SC for simplified Chinese characters . In addition, the Noto, Italy family of typefaces, for example, also provides separate fonts for
9834-642: The Suzhou area , and during the Wanli period, it expanded to the south of the Yangtze River and north of the Qiantang River with Suzhou as the center, and also flowed into Beijing at the end of the Wanli period. In the Qing Dynasty , the Kangxi Emperor loved Kunqu opera, which made it even more popular. In this way, the Kunshan singing became the most influential vocal cavity drama from
9983-463: The revolutionary operas until the period's end. After the Cultural Revolution, these transformations were largely undone. In recent years, Peking opera has responded to sagging audience numbers by attempting reforms, including improving performance quality, adapting new performance elements, shortening works, and performing new and original plays. "Peking opera" is the English term for the art form;
10132-503: The "stylized articulation of monosyllabic sound units" and the "stylized pronunciation of speech-tones", respectively. Prose speeches were frequently improvised during the early period of Peking opera's development, and chou performers carry on that tradition today. The second main type of stage speech consists of quotations drawn from classical Chinese poetry. This type is rarely used in Peking opera; plays have one or two such quotations at most, and often none at all. In most instances,
10281-712: The 1930s, Mei performed Kunqu in the United States and the Soviet Union and was well received. Its melody or tune is one of the Four Great Characteristic Melodies in Chinese opera. In 2006, Zhou Bing acted as a producer and art director for Kunqu (Kun Opera) of sexcentenary. It won Outstanding Documentary Award of 24th China TV Golden Eagle Awards; it won Award of TV Art Features of 21st Starlight Award for 2006. Kunqu Opera
10430-642: The 19th century. The Anhui troupes reached their peak of excellence in the middle of the century and were invited to perform in the court of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom that had been established during the Taiping Rebellion . Beginning in 1884, the Empress Dowager Cixi became a regular patron of Peking opera, cementing its status over earlier forms like Kunqu . The popularity of Peking opera has been attributed to
10579-544: The 49th Street Theater to the larger National Theater, and the duration of the tour extended from two weeks to five. Mei traveled across the United States, receiving honorary degrees from the University of California and Pomona College . He followed this tour with a tour in the Soviet Union in 1935. The theatre department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has been home to English-language Jingju for more than twenty-five years. The school offers Asian Theatre as
10728-555: The People's Republic of China, traditional Chinese characters are standardised according to the Table of Comparison between Standard, Traditional and Variant Chinese Characters . Dictionaries published in mainland China generally show both simplified and their traditional counterparts. There are differences between the accepted traditional forms in mainland China and elsewhere, for example the accepted traditional form of 产 in mainland China
10877-469: The United States during the second half of the 19th century, Chinese Americans have long used traditional characters. When not providing both, US public notices and signs in Chinese are generally written in traditional characters, more often than in simplified characters. In the past, traditional Chinese was most often encoded on computers using the Big5 standard, which favored traditional characters. However,
11026-448: The aesthetic principle of synthesis frequently leads to the use of these contrasting elements in combination, yielding plays that defy such dichotomous classification. Since 1949, a more detailed classification system has been put into use based on thematic content and the historical period of a play's creation. The first category in this system is chuantongxi , traditional plays that were in performance before 1949. The second category
11175-861: The arrival of an important person, and "Triple Thrust" ( 急三槍 ; Jí Sān Qiāng ), which may signal a feast or banquet. The final type of musical accompaniment is the percussion pattern. Such patterns provide context to the music in ways similar to the fixed-tune melodies. For example, there are as many as 48 different percussion patterns that accompany stage entrances. Each one identifies the entering character by their individual rank and personality. The repertoire of Peking opera includes nearly 1,400 works. The plays are mostly taken from historical novels or traditional stories about civil, political and military struggles. Early plays were often adaptations from earlier Chinese theatre styles, such as kunqu . Nearly half of 272 plays listed in 1824 were derived from earlier styles. Many classification systems have been used to sort
11324-502: The art form mainly catered to the tastes of male audience members. Qing dynasty emperors repeatedly banned female performers beginning with Kangxi Emperor in 1671. The last ban was by the Qianlong Emperor who banned all female performers in Beijing in 1772. The appearance of women on the stage began unofficially during the 1870s. Female performers began to impersonate male roles and declared equality with men. They were given
11473-491: The audience and take in only the precise amount of air required for the intended vocalization. The most important principle in exhalation is "saving the breath" ( cun qi ). Breath should not be expended all at once at the beginning of a spoken or sung passage, but rather expelled slowly and evenly over its length. Most songs and some prose contain precise written intervals for when breath should be "exchanged" or "stolen". These intervals are often marked by carats. Pronunciation
11622-445: The audience. For example, walking in a large circle always symbolizes traveling a long distance, and a character straightening their costume and headdress symbolizes that an important character is about to speak. Some conventions, such as the pantomimic opening and closing of doors and mounting and descending of stairs, are more readily apparent. Many performances deal with behaviors that occur in daily life. However, in accordance with
11771-522: The base of Kunqu Opera excellent traditional Chinese Culture Inheritance. Kunqu opera was showcased in the 2019 Chinese Opera Culture Week on Oct 2, 2019. Kunqu Opera is characterized by the character line cavity, cavity with the character walk. Singing also has a certain cavity, different from other operas can be given free play according to the individual conditions of the actors. Instead, there are four strict determinations: tone, cavity, plate and spectrum. The main difference between Nankun and Beikun
11920-412: The call for reform from this new upper level of Peking-opera producers. Channel CCTV-11 in mainland China is currently dedicated to broadcasting classic Chinese opera productions, including Peking opera. In addition to its presence in mainland China, Peking opera has spread to many other places. It can be found in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese communities elsewhere. Mei Lanfang , one of
12069-400: The clothes that were popular in society at that time. Reflected in the play, military generals have their own uniforms, and civil officials also have a variety of clothes according to the class hierarchy of feudal society. Facebook is used for the two lines of net and ugly. Very few characters belonging to Sheng and Dan are also used by chance, such as Monkey King (生) and Zhong Wuyan (Dan), and
12218-646: The clown's combination of ugliness and laughter could drive away evil spirits. Chou roles can be divided into Wen Chou , civilian roles such as merchants and jailers, and Wu Chou , minor military roles. The Wu Chou combines comic acting and acrobatics. Chou characters are generally amusing and likable, if a bit foolish. Their costumes range from simple for characters of lower status to elaborate, perhaps overly so, for high-status characters. Chou characters wear special face paint, called xiaohualian , that differs from that of Jing characters. The defining characteristic of this type of face paint
12367-488: The colors are basically red, white, and black. After years of running-in processing, Kunqu opera art has formed a fairly perfect system, and this system has long occupied a dominant position in Chinese opera, so Kunqu opera art is revered as the "ancestor of a hundred operas," which has a profound impact on the development of the entire opera, and many local operas have absorbed its artistic nutrients to varying degrees, among which there are still some Kunqu operas. Kunqu Opera
12516-403: The common Beijing dialect , as opposed to the more formal dialects of other characters. Becoming a Peking opera performer takes a long and difficult apprenticeship starting at an early age. Before the 20th century, students were often picked personally at a young age by a teacher and trained for seven years on account of the contract from the child's parents. Since the teacher fully provided for
12665-541: The development of performing arts, the division of roles in Kun opera has become more and more detailed. Between Jia and Dao, the role industry of Kun opera combines the original "twelve roles in rivers and lakes" with the later more detailed division of labor. Under the five lines of "Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo and Chou," there are twenty smaller lines, called "twenty doors." Traditional Kun opera professional class clubs usually only have 18 actors, commonly known as "18 nets," while only
12814-414: The development of the form. The influence of Western culture has also left the younger generations impatient with the slow pacing of Peking opera. In response, Peking opera began to see reform starting in the 1980s. Such reforms have taken the form of creating a school of performance theory to increase performance quality, employing modern elements to attract new audiences, and performing new plays outside of
12963-498: The early Kun opera belongs to the Southern Opera system, it inherits the role industry system of the Southern Opera, and simultaneously absorbs the long of the Northern Zaju, taking the basic roles of Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mei, Chou, outer and paste seven acts. Huan Sha Ji, an early work, reflects the character branch method in the early stage of Kun Opera. In addition to following the seven lines of Southern Opera, it also borrowed
13112-471: The early Qing period.</ref> The operas were not necessarily performed in full, but may be performed as excerpts or highlights (折子戲, zhézixì ), which became the norm by 1760s and over 400 pieces of these were known. Kunqu performance influenced the performance of many other styles of Chinese musical theater, including Peking opera , which contains much Kunqu repertoire. Kunqu was referred to as Yabu (雅部, "elegant drama"), and it came under competition from
13261-520: The end of Ming Dynasty , the main vocal cavity, "Douqiang," contains the components of Kunshan dialect. For example, the representative opera "Ziyuchai," the main tune is "13 tunes." Kunqu Opera also appears in the folk form of sitting and singing. Qing Qianlong 35 years (1770),Jian'ou County established the "Zhai Ya Lin Qu Society", learn to sing Kunqiang, commonly known as "singing a big tune". Kunqu Opera, commonly known as "Cao Kun" and "Jin Kun,"
13410-448: The end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty , Kunqu opera spread to Sichuan , Guizhou and Guangdong , and developed into a national drama. The singing of Kunqu opera was originally based on the Wu language pronunciation of Suzhou, but after it was introduced to various places, it was combined with local dialects and folk music to derive many genres, forming a rich and colorful Kunqu opera cavity system, and becoming
13559-413: The form of a smooth, S-shaped curve. All of these general principles of aesthetics are present within other performance elements as well. Peking opera stages have traditionally been square platforms. The action on stage is usually visible from at least three sides. The stage is divided into two parts by an embroidered curtain called a shoujiu . Musicians are visible to the audience on the front part of
13708-654: The founding of the Republic of China in 1911. This was accepted, and the ban was lifted in 1912, although male Dan continued to be popular after this period. After the Chinese Civil War , Peking opera became a focal point of identity for both involved parties. When the Chinese Communist Party came to power in mainland China in 1949, the newly formed government moved to bring art into line with Communist ideology, and "to make art and literature
13857-492: The great achievements of the Cultural Revolution, and were meant to express Mao's view that "art must serve the interests of the workers, peasants, and soldiers and must conform to proletarian ideology." Among the eight model plays eventually retained during that time were five Peking operas. Notable among these operas was The Legend of the Red Lantern , which was approved as a concert with piano accompaniment based on
14006-493: The inverse is equally true as well. In digital media, many cultural phenomena imported from Hong Kong and Taiwan into mainland China, such as music videos, karaoke videos, subtitled movies, and subtitled dramas, use traditional Chinese characters. In Hong Kong and Macau , traditional characters were retained during the colonial period, while the mainland adopted simplified characters. Simplified characters are contemporaneously used to accommodate immigrants and tourists, often from
14155-429: The lines of a person's face, which is said to reveal personality. Easily recognizable examples of coloring include red, which denotes uprightness and loyalty, white, which represents evil or crafty characters, and black, which is given to characters of soundness and integrity. Three main types of Jing roles are often seen. These include dongchui , a loyal general with a black face who excels in singing, jiazi ,
14304-725: The mainland. The increasing use of simplified characters has led to concern among residents regarding protecting what they see as their local heritage. Taiwan has never adopted simplified characters. The use of simplified characters in government documents and educational settings is discouraged by the government of Taiwan. Nevertheless, with sufficient context simplified characters are likely to be successfully read by those used to traditional characters, especially given some previous exposure. Many simplified characters were previously variants that had long been in some use, with systematic stroke simplifications used in folk handwriting since antiquity. Traditional characters were recognized as
14453-482: The major roles were greatly reduced for Peking opera. The Chou, in particular, rarely has a singing part in Peking opera, unlike the equivalent role in Kunqu style. The melodies that accompany each play were also simplified, and are played with different traditional instruments than in earlier forms. Perhaps most noticeably, true acrobatic elements were introduced with Peking opera. The form grew in popularity throughout
14602-682: The majority of Chinese text in mainland China are simplified characters , there is no legislation prohibiting the use of traditional Chinese characters, and often traditional Chinese characters remain in use for stylistic and commercial purposes, such as in shopfront displays and advertising. Traditional Chinese characters remain ubiquitous on buildings that predate the promulgation of the current simplification scheme, such as former government buildings, religious buildings, educational institutions, and historical monuments. Traditional Chinese characters continue to be used for ceremonial, cultural, scholarly/academic research, and artistic/decorative purposes. In
14751-983: The merging of previously distinct character forms. Many Chinese online newspapers allow users to switch between these character sets. Traditional characters are known by different names throughout the Chinese-speaking world. The government of Taiwan officially refers to traditional Chinese characters as 正體字 ; 正体字 ; zhèngtǐzì ; 'orthodox characters'. This term is also used outside Taiwan to distinguish standard characters, including both simplified, and traditional, from other variants and idiomatic characters . Users of traditional characters elsewhere, as well as those using simplified characters, call traditional characters 繁體字 ; 繁体字 ; fántǐzì ; 'complex characters', 老字 ; lǎozì ; 'old characters', or 全體字 ; 全体字 ; quántǐzì ; 'full characters' to distinguish them from simplified characters. Some argue that since traditional characters are often
14900-539: The middle of the Ming Dynasty to the middle of the Qing Dynasty. Ming Wanli period (1573-1619) before the introduction to Fujian. The earliest recorded introduction of Kunshan dialect into Fujian was in 1574. Kunqu Opera is widely distributed in Fujian , and has had some influence on local operas in Fujian more or less, directly or indirectly. In the Confucian drama founded by Cao Xuefu [ zh ] at
15049-582: The most famous Dan performers of all time, was also one of the greatest popularizers of Peking opera abroad. During the 1920s, he performed Peking opera in Japan. This inspired an American tour in February 1930. Although some, such as the actor Otis Skinner , believed that Peking opera could never be a success in the United States, the favorable reception of Mei and his troupe in New York City disproved this notion. The performances had to be relocated from
15198-432: The mouth. Therefore, they are performed with an additional i sound, as in zhii . These techniques and conventions of vocal production are used to create the two main categories of vocalizations in Peking opera: stage speech and song. Peking opera is performed using both Classical Chinese and Modern Standard Chinese with some slang terms added for color. The social position of the character being played determines
15347-610: The musical style of kunqu, and it gained widespread popularity when Liang Chenyu used the style in his drama Huansha ji ( Washing Silken Gauze ). In 2006, it was listed on the first national intangible cultural heritage list. In 2008, it was included in the List of Representative Works of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In December 2018, the General Office of the Ministry of Education announced that Peking University
15496-444: The northern zaju style, where plucked string instruments were preferred. The resultant elegant Kunshan tunes are often called "water mill" tunes (水磨調, shuimo diao ). Kunqu operas are chuanqi -style operas but incorporating Kunshan tune throughout. An opera, Washing Silken Gauze (浣紗記, Huan Sha Ji ) written by a Kunshan native Liang Chenyu (梁辰魚), has been described as the first Kunqu opera. The story of Washing Silken Gauze
15645-677: The official script in Singapore until 1969, when the government officially adopted Simplified characters. Traditional characters still are widely used in contexts such as in baby and corporation names, advertisements, decorations, official documents and in newspapers. The Chinese Filipino community continues to be one of the most conservative in Southeast Asia regarding simplification. Although major public universities teach in simplified characters, many well-established Chinese schools still use traditional characters. Publications such as
15794-487: The one act play The Favorite Concubine Becomes Intoxicated begins in a state of joy, and then moves to anger and jealousy, drunken playfulness, and finally to a feeling of defeat and resignation. A full-length play usually has from six to fifteen or more scenes. The overall story in these longer works is told through contrasting scenes. Plays will alternate between civil and martial scenes, or scenes that involve protagonists and antagonists. There are several major scenes within
15943-537: The only focal points on Peking opera characteristically sparse stage. They use the skills of speech, song, dance and combat in movements that are symbolic and suggestive, rather than realistic. Above all else, the skill of performers is evaluated according to the beauty of their movements. Performers also adhere to a variety of stylistic conventions that help audiences navigate the plot of the production. The layers of meaning within each movement must be expressed in time with music. The music of Peking opera can be divided into
16092-700: The original standard forms, they should not be called 'complex'. Conversely, there is a common objection to the description of traditional characters as 'standard', due to them not being used by a large population of Chinese speakers. Additionally, as the process of Chinese character creation often made many characters more elaborate over time, there is sometimes a hesitation to characterize them as 'traditional'. Some people refer to traditional characters as 'proper characters' ( 正字 ; zhèngzì or 正寫 ; zhèngxiě ) and to simplified characters as 簡筆字 ; 简笔字 ; jiǎnbǐzì ; 'simplified-stroke characters' or 減筆字 ; 减笔字 ; jiǎnbǐzì ; 'reduced-stroke characters', as
16241-508: The overriding principle of beauty, such behaviors are stylized to be presented on stage. Peking opera does not aim to accurately represent reality. Experts of the art form contrast the principles of Peking opera with the principle of Mo , mimes or imitation, that is found in western dramas. Peking opera should be suggestive, not imitative. The literal aspects of scenes are removed or stylized to better represent intangible emotions and characters. The most common stylization method in Peking opera
16390-423: The part of the performer due to changed performance conditions. Thus, the jinghu player must have an instinctive ability to change their performance without warning to properly accompany the performer. The second is the circular bodied plucked lute, the yueqin . Percussion instruments include the daluo , xiaoluo , and naobo . The player of the gu and ban , a small high pitch drum and clapper ,
16539-402: The performance characteristics of singing and dancing have been formed in the long-term performance history, especially reflected in the performance body of each character, and its dance body can be roughly divided into two types: one is the auxiliary posture when speaking and the dance of rewriting the intention developed by gestures; One is a lyrical dance with singing lyrics , which is not only
16688-401: The plays. Two traditional methods have existed since Peking opera first appeared in China. The oldest and most generally used system is to sort plays into civil and martial types. Civil plays focus on the relationships between characters, and feature personal, domestic, and romantic situations. The element of singing is frequently used to express emotion in this type of play. Martial plays feature
16837-482: The portion of the mouth most critical to each type's production: throat, or larynx ( hou ); tongue ( she ); molars, or the jaws and palate ( chi ); front teeth ( ya ); and lips ( chun ). Some syllables (written Chinese characters ) have special pronunciations in Peking opera. This is due to the collaboration with regional forms and kunqu that occurred during the development of Peking opera. For example, 你 , meaning "you", may be pronounced li , as it
16986-548: The puppet show that originated in Shaanxi province . Chinese puppet shows always involve singing. Much dialogue is also carried out in an archaic form of Mandarin Chinese, in which the Zhongyuan Mandarin dialects of Henan and Shaanxi are closest. This form of Mandarin is recorded in the book Zhongyuan Yinyun . It also absorbed music from other operas and local Zhili musical art forms. Some scholars believe that
17135-473: The purpose of clarifying meaning. Rhyme is an extremely important device in Peking opera, with thirteen identified rhyme categories. Song lyrics also use the speech tones of Mandarin Chinese in ways that are pleasing to the ear and convey proper meaning and emotion. The first and second of Chinese's four tones are normally known as "level" ( ping ) tones in Peking opera, while the third and fourth are called "oblique" ( ze ). The closing line of every couplet in
17284-983: The rest of the costume and will usually have a matching level of embroidery. Shoes may be high or low-soled, the former being worn by characters of high rank, and the latter by characters of low rank or acrobatic characters. Qimo (stage props) is the name for all stage properties and some simple decorations. The term first occurred in the Jin dynasty (266–420) . Qimo includes articles of everyday life such as candlesticks, lanterns, fans, handkerchiefs, brushes, paper, ink and ink slabs, and tea and wine sets. The props also include: sedan chairs, vehicle flags, oars, and horsewhips, as well as weapons. Also employed are various articles to demonstrate environments, such as cloth backdrops to represent cities, and curtains, flags, table curtains, and chair covers. Traditional qimo are not just imitations of real articles, but also artistic articles in their own right. Flags are also frequently used on
17433-479: The retreat of the Republic of China to Taiwan in 1949, Peking opera there took on a special status of "political symbolism", in which the Kuomintang government encouraged the art form over other forms of performance in an attempt to claim a position as the sole representative of Chinese culture. This often occurred at the expense of traditional Taiwanese opera . Due to its status as a prestigious art form with
17582-655: The rhythm of singing, and Qudi and three-stringed instruments as the main accompaniment instruments. Its pronunciation is "Zhongzhou rhyme." Kunqu Opera was listed as a masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001, and was included in the Masterpiece of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008. In December 2018, the General Office of the Ministry of Education announced Peking University as
17731-460: The same as Kun opera in the early period. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty , The role industry of Kun opera basically maintained the system of "twelve characters in rivers and lakes." During the reign of Qianlong , Kunqu Opera was the most popular, the performing arts were further improved, and new breakthroughs were made in the role industry system for characterizing characters. With
17880-403: The same basic lyrical structure, differing only in kind and degree of emotions portrayed. Lyrics are written in couplets ( lian ) consisting of two lines ( ju ). Couplets can consist of two ten character lines, or two seven character lines. The lines are further subdivided into three dou (lit. "pause"), typically in a 3-3-4 or 2-2-3 pattern. Lines may be "padded" with extra characters for
18029-497: The same performance may sing in different keys, requiring the accompanying musicians to constantly retune their instruments or switch out with other players. Elizabeth Wichmann describes the ideal basic timbre for Peking opera songs as a "controlled nasal tone". Performers make extensive use of vocal vibrato during songs, in a way that is "slower" and "wider" than vibrato used in Western performances. The Peking opera aesthetic for songs
18178-489: The second half of the 20th century, Western works have increasingly been adapted for Peking opera. The works of Shakespeare have been especially popular. The movement to adapt Shakespeare to the stage has encompassed all forms of Chinese theatre. Peking opera in particular has seen versions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and King Lear , among others. In 2017, Li Wenrui wrote in China Daily that 10 masterpieces of
18327-578: The setting method of Xiao Mei and Xiao Dan in Yuan Zaju, and added five lines of Xiao Sheng, Xiao Dan, Xiao Mei, Xiao Wai and Xiao Jing, a total of twelve lines. During the boom of Kun opera in the late Ming Dynasty , in the Ming edition of the legend of Mohan Zhai, the original "tie" was changed to "Old Dan," which also absorbed the branch method of Zaju in the Yuan Dynasty . Other roles are basically
18476-434: The simplicity of the form, with only a few voices and singing patterns. This allowed anyone to sing the arias themselves. At the time of its growth in the late nineteenth century, albums became used to display aspects of stage culture, including makeup and costumes of performers. Peking opera was initially an exclusively male pursuit. There were bans on female performers and major limitations on female audience members, so
18625-410: The stage. Traditional Peking opera stages were built above the line of sight of the viewers, but some modern stages have been constructed with higher audience seating. Viewers are always seated south of the stage. Therefore, north is the most important direction in Peking opera, and performers will immediately move to "center north" upon entering the stage. All characters enter from the east and exit from
18774-426: The stage. A square flag with the Chinese character for "marshal" on it, a rectangular flag with the Chinese character for "commander" on it, and a flag with the name of a certain army on it represent the location of army camps and commanders-in-chief. In addition, there are water, fire, wind, and vehicle flags. Actors shake these flags to represent waves, fire, wind, or moving vehicles. Vocal production in Peking opera
18923-420: The student during this period, the student accrued a debt to his master that was later repaid through performance earnings. After 1911, training took place in more formally organized schools. Students at these schools rose as early as five o'clock in the morning for exercise. Daytime was spent learning the skills of acting and combat, and senior students performed in outside theaters in the evening. The entire group
19072-476: The supporting cast of foot soldiers, attendants, and servants that is present in every Peking-opera troupe. In Taiwan, the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China runs a national Peking-opera training school. Peking-opera performers use four main skills. The first two are song and speech. The third is dance-acting. This includes pure dance, pantomime, and all other types of dance. The final skill
19221-569: The term entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 1953. "Beijing opera" is a more recent equivalent. In China, the art form has been known by many names at different times and places. The earliest Chinese name, Pihuang , was a combination of the xipi and erhuang melodies. As it increased in popularity, its name became Jingju or Jingxi , which reflected its start in the capital city ( Chinese : 京 ; pinyin : Jīng ). From 1927 to 1949, when Beijing
19370-406: The traditional canon. However, these reforms have been hampered by both a lack of funding and an adverse political climate that makes the performance of new plays difficult. In addition to more formal reform measures, Peking-opera troupes during the 1980s also adopted more unofficial changes. Some of those seen in traditional works have been called "technique for technique's sake". This has included
19519-583: The traditional character set used in Taiwan ( TC ) and the set used in Hong Kong ( HK ). Most Chinese-language webpages now use Unicode for their text. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommends the use of the language tag zh-Hant to specify webpage content written with traditional characters. In the Japanese writing system , kyujitai are traditional forms, which were simplified to create shinjitai for standardized Japanese use following World War II. Kyūjitai are mostly congruent with
19668-985: The traditional characters in Chinese, save for minor stylistic variation. Characters that are not included in the jōyō kanji list are generally recommended to be printed in their traditional forms, with a few exceptions. Additionally, there are kokuji , which are kanji wholly created in Japan, rather than originally being borrowed from China. In the Korean writing system , hanja —replaced almost entirely by hangul in South Korea and totally replaced in North Korea —are mostly identical with their traditional counterparts, save minor stylistic variations. As with Japanese, there are autochthonous hanja, known as gukja . Traditional Chinese characters are also used by non-Chinese ethnic groups. The Maniq people living in Thailand and Malaysia use Chinese characters to write
19817-450: The troupe will also have a secondary laosheng . The Dan ( 旦 ) refers to any female role in Beijing opera. Dan roles were originally divided into five subtypes. Old women were played by laodan , martial women were wudan , young female warriors were daomadan , virtuous and elite women were qingyi , and vivacious and unmarried women were huadan . One of Mei Lanfang's most important contributions to Beijing opera
19966-574: The true seat of the Chinese government. Peking opera was born when the Four Great Anhui Troupes brought Hui opera, or what is now called Huiju , in 1790 to Beijing, for the eightieth birthday of the Qianlong Emperor on 25 September. It was originally staged for the court and only made available to the public later. In 1828, several famous Hubei troupes arrived in Beijing and performed jointly with Anhui troupes. The combination gradually formed Peking opera's melodies. Peking opera
20115-481: The type of language that is used. Peking opera features three major types of stage speech ( nianbai , 念白 ). Monologues and dialogue, which make up the majority of most plays, consist of prose speeches. The purpose of prose speech is to advance the plot of the play or inject humor into a scene. They are usually short, and are performed mostly using vernacular language. However, as Elizabeth Wichmann points out, they also have rhythmic and musical elements, achieved through
20264-518: The ubiquitous Unicode standard gives equal weight to simplified and traditional Chinese characters, and has become by far the most popular encoding for Chinese-language text. There are various input method editors (IMEs) available for the input of Chinese characters . Many characters, often dialectical variants, are encoded in Unicode but cannot be inputted using certain IMEs, with one example being
20413-499: The use of classical poetry is intended to heighten the impact of a scene. However, Chou and more whimsical Dan characters may misquote or misinterpret the classical lines, creating a comical effect. The final category of stage speech is conventionalized stage speeches ( chengshi nianbai ). These are rigid formulations that mark important transition points. When a character enters for the first time, an entrance speech ( shangchang ) or self-introduction speech ( zi bao jiamen )
20562-404: The use of extended high pitch sequences by female Dan, and the addition of lengthier movement sections and percussion sequences to traditional works. Such changes have generally met with disdain from Peking-opera performers, who see them as ploys to gain immediate audience appeal. Plays with repetitive sequences have also been shortened to hold audience interest. New works have naturally experienced
20711-399: The west. In line with the highly symbolic nature of Peking opera, the form uses very few props. This reflects seven centuries of Chinese performance tradition. The presence of large objects is frequently indicated through conventions. The stage will almost always have a table and at least one chair, which can be turned through convention into such diverse objects as a city wall, a mountain, or
20860-587: The words for simplified and reduced are homophonous in Standard Chinese , both pronounced as jiǎn . The modern shapes of traditional Chinese characters first appeared with the emergence of the clerical script during the Han dynasty c. 200 BCE , with the sets of forms and norms more or less stable since the Southern and Northern dynasties period c. the 5th century . Although
21009-516: The work that follow the pattern of emotional progression. It is these scenes that are usually excerpted for later zhezixi productions. Some of the most complex plays may even have an emotional progression from scene to scene. Due to the scarcity of props in Peking opera, costumes take on added importance. Costumes function first to distinguish the rank of the character being played. Emperors and their families wear yellow robes, and high-ranking officials wear purple. The robe worn by these two classes
21158-588: The youths employed in these brothels led many of them to become professional Dan later in life. The Jing ( 净 ) is a painted face male role. Depending on the repertoire of the particular troupe, he will play either primary or secondary roles. This type of role will entail a forceful character, so a Jing must have a strong voice and be able to exaggerate gestures. Beijing opera boasts 16 basic facial patterns, but there are over 100 specific variations. The patterns and coloring are thought to be derived from traditional Chinese color symbolism and divination on
21307-995: Was banned during the Cultural Revolution . Kunqu began to revive by the mid-1990s, and it was then declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001, and received generous support by the government, and experienced a great increase in popularity by 2004. Today, Kunqu is professionally performed in seven major Mainland Chinese cities: Beijing ( Northern Kunqu Theater ), Shanghai ( Shanghai Kunqu Theater ), Suzhou ( Suzhou Kunqu Theater ), Nanjing ( Jiangsu Province Kun Opera ), Chenzhou ( Hunan Kunqu Theater ), Yongjia County / Wenzhou ( Yongjia Kunqu Theater ) and Hangzhou ( Zhejiang Province Kunqu Theater ), as well as in Taipei . Non-professional opera societies are active in many other cities in China and abroad, and opera companies occasionally tour. In 1919 Mei Lanfang and Han Shichang , renowned performers of Kunqu , traveled to Japan to give performances. In
21456-541: Was based on Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue , and the use of elegant "water mill" tunes in the opera earned it wide praise from scholars. Kunqu operas then became popular throughout China, and the emergence of Kunqu is said to have ushered in a "second Golden Era of Chinese drama." The most famous Kunqu opera is The Peony Pavilion written by Tang Xianzu in the Ming dynasty. Other important works include The Palace of Eternal Life written by Hong Sheng, and The Peach Blossom Fan by Kong Shangren written in
21605-492: Was beaten with bamboo canes if they made any mistakes during such performances. Schools with less harsh training methods began appearing in 1930, but all schools were closed in 1931 after the Japanese invasion. New schools were not opened until 1952. Performers are first trained in acrobatics, followed by singing and gestures. Several performing schools, all based on the styles of famous performers, are taught. Some examples are
21754-768: Was extremely popular in the Qing court and has come to be regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China. Major performance troupes are based in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai . The art form is also preserved in Taiwan , where it is also known as Guójù ( Chinese : 國劇 ; lit. 'National opera'). It has also spread to other regions such as the United States and Japan . Peking opera features four main role types, sheng (gentlemen), dan (women), jing (rough men), and chou (clowns). Performing troupes often have several of each variety, as well as numerous secondary and tertiary performers. With their elaborate and colorful costumes, performers are
21903-460: Was in pioneering a sixth type of role, the huashan . This role type combines the status of the qingyi with the sensuality of the huadan . A troupe will have a young Dan to play main roles, as well as an older Dan for secondary parts. Four examples of famous Dan s are Mei Lanfang , Cheng Yanqiu , Shang Xiaoyun , and Xun Huisheng . In the early years of Beijing opera, all Dan roles were played by men. Wei Changsheng,
22052-418: Was known as Beiping , Peking opera was known as Pingxi or Pingju to reflect this change. Finally, with the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the name of the capital city was reverted to Beijing, and the formal name of this theatre in mainland China was established as Jingju . The Taiwanese name for this type of opera, Guoju , or "national opera", reflects disputes over
22201-410: Was sent, possibly to emphasize "Taiwaneseness". During the second half of the 20th century, Peking opera witnessed a steady decline in audience numbers. This has been attributed both to a decrease in performance quality and an inability of the traditional opera form to capture modern life. Furthermore, the archaic language of Peking opera required productions to use electronic subtitles, which hampered
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