What is Chinese Opera

Opera Type WHAT IS CHINESE OPERA

Chinese opera is dominated by folk song and dance, rap and burlesque. It originated from primitive singing and dancing and is a comprehensive stage art style with a long history. It took many dynasties to form a relatively complete opera art. It is composed of literature, music, dance, fine arts, martial arts, acrobatics and performing arts. There are about three hundred and sixty species. It is characterized by aggregating multiple art forms into one standard, and reflecting their respective personalities in a common essence. DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE OPERA

Tang Dynasty

The prosperity of literature and art in the Tang Dynasty was the result of the rapid economic development, which promoted the art of opera. At the same time, the rhythm of poetry and the maturity of narrative poetry gave a decisive influence on opera. The prosperity of music and dance provides the most solid foundation for performance and singing for Chinese opera. Improved the artist’s artistic level, accelerated the dramatization of song and dance, and produced a number of opera repertoires that used song and dance to act out stories.

Ming and Qing Dynasties

Because the drama style of Ming Dynasty legends continued into the Qing Dynasty, they are habitually called Ming and Qing Legends. Ming and Qing legends inherited the Nanxi system in form and are more complete. A script is mostly only about 30, often divided into upper and lower parts; the writer also pays special attention to the compact structure and interspersed with Cohun. The legendary music is also in the form of tunes and cards, but Binan Opera has developed, and the tune is no longer limited to one palace tune; the number of tunes also depends on the needs of the plot; all the characters on the stage can sing.

Modern times

Before and after the Revolution of 1911, a group of accomplished opera artists engaged in opera art improvement activities. The famous ones were Wang Xiaonong, Pan Yueqiao, Xia Yueshan, etc. They accumulated valuable experience for the improvement of opera in the future. From the “May Fourth Movement” in 1919 to the founding of the People’s Republic of China, during this period, some people with lofty ideals reformed Chinese opera.

On the eve of the “May Fourth Movement”, Mei Lanfang performed new fashion dramas that promoted democratic ideas such as “Chou Gu Deng” and “A Wisp of Hemp”. Zhou Xinfang and Cheng Yanqiu also created many works. [2] Yuan Xuefen held high the banner of Yue opera reform, starring in Lu Xun’s famous work “Xianglin’s Wife”, and formed a comprehensive art mechanism integrating choreography, directing, dance, sound and beauty in Chinese opera. “It was the first to start the mechanism of combining freehand brushwork and realism in Chinese opera

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, a number of outstanding plays emerged, such as Peking Opera “Jian Xianghe”, “The Legend of the White Snake”, Ping Opera “Qin Xianglian”, Yue Opera “Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai”, Kun Opera “Fifteen Guans”, etc. The historian Wu Han also wrote the historical Peking opera “Hai Rui Dismissed from Office”. The art of opera has developed to this day. After different times, it has continuously adapted to the needs of the new era and new audience, maintaining and carrying forward the traditional artistic characteristics of the nation. The issue of “and “dramaticization” has become an issue of active discussion and active practice in the new historical period.