Beijing OperaChinese Arts

3 ancient operasGreek operaIndian Buddhist operaChinese opera

contentsBrief history of Beijing OperaFour main rolesFour categoriesContent of Beijing Operathe playsImportant featuresThe orchestraThe costume Masters of Beijing Opera

Brief historyThe techniques and movements: Tang Dynasty (618-967)Mixture of local dramas: Huangmei Drama; KunquEmperor Qianglong: Qing Dynasty(1644-1911); 80th birthday

Two main originsAnhui troupesHubei troupes

4 main rolesSheng Dan Jing Chou

Sheng (male roles) Xiao Sheng (young male)Wu sheng(military officers and generals) Lao Sheng(old males)Wen Sheng(scholars or officials)

Dan (female roles)Hua Dan (young maids)Lao Dan(elderly ladies)Dao Ma Dan(horsewomen orFemale warriors)

DanQing Yi (aristocratic ladies)Cai Dan (female clown)

Jing (face-painted roles)Huang Lian (oil-painted face)

oil-painted facesColors represent different characters.Guan YuCao CaoDou ErdunDian WeiBao Zheng

Chou (clowns)

Ba Wang

Four categories Singing Narrating/dialoguing MimicryAcrobatics

Singing Different ways of singing according to the rolesXipi (Han tune)Erhuang (Hui tune)

Narrating/dialoguingDialogue and monologueThe way of narrating is different from ordinary everyday speaking; thus the pronunciation is difficult to understand.

MimicrySymbolic and exaggerated; audience must use their imagination Eg: walking in a circle-----long journey; lifting a foot------go through a doorway; holding a whip with silk tassels---riding a horse; a table with two chairs----a room;

Acrobatic stunts Combine martial arts and acrobatics Lots of tumblingWater sleeve (sleeve shaking)

Content of Beijing OperaMost of them are based on folk stories, famous novels and fairy tales.1,300 traditional playsAbout 400 commonly performed on stage Some new plays (eg: the Eight Model Operatic Plays based on the modern revolutionary history of China)

The Monkey KingJourney to the Westa monkey who was born out of stone

The Drunken BeautyYang GuifeiTang Dynasty

The White SnakeWhite Snake, Green Snake and Xu XianThe folk story about the White Snake

An Unguarded CityThe Story of Three KingdomsZhuge LiangSima Yi

Crossroad The Water Margin: Outlaws of the Marsh (All Men are Brothers)Wu SongSun Erniang

Take the Weihu Mountain by Strategy1940sNorth of ChinaIn order to suppress the bandits, a heroic spy pretended as a bandit. Yang Zirong

ShajiabangAnti-Japanese WarA group of underground armedChinese Nationalist Party

Features Highly symbolic art Combination of many different performing arts (martial arts, acrobat, historic drama, dancing; singing, etc.)Highly systemized with stylized routine

Values Cognitive value of getting familiar with Chinese history and folk stories Educational and moral valueLonging for freedom Longing for justice and equalityThe good will have good endings and the bad will have bad endings.Patriotism Literary valueAesthetic value

The Orchestra String instruments Wind instruments Percussion instruments

String instrumentsJinghuErhuPipa Yueqin

Wind InstrumentsSuonaDi (Flute) Xiao

Percussion instrumentsGong castanetsDrum

The costumeMangformal clothes of the upper classKao---armor of worriors Peiinformal daily clothes for the upper classXuedaily clothes

mang

Kao

Pei

Xue

Colors of the costumeThe upper five colors: red, yellow, green, white, blackThe lower five colors: blue, purple, pink, lake blue, brown Each color has its connotative meaning and matches with the character.

Features of the costume Do not change with the time and seasons Match with the charactersBased on the clothes of Ming Dynasty and exaggerated

Masters of Beijing OperaOld Tan---Tan XinpeiThe Three Great SagesMei LanfangYang XiaolouYu Shuyan

Old TanTan XinpeiOld shengthe King of OperaFirst film of China

The Three Great Sages of Beijing OperaMei Lanfang (18941961)Mei School (one of the worlds three major performing systems; the other two are schools of Konstantin Stanislavsky and Bertolt Brecht)Mei PartyRepresentative works: Farewell to My Concubine; The Drunken BeautyYoung Mei LanfangIn costume

Meis House in Beijing

Mei LanfangFour Famous Dan Mei Lanfang with beard

The Three Great Sages of Beijing OperaYang Xiaolou 18781938sheng

Farewell to My Concubine

The Three Great Sages of Beijing OperaYu Shuyan(18901943)

Yu in costume