Chapter 7

RecreationChapter 7

Recreation

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learning Contents

Learning Objectives

Pre-Class Activities

In-class Learning

After-class Learning

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4

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Section 1

learning Objectives

Chinese local operaComparing Chinese and Western recreational activitiesSkills on tourism conference

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Section 2 Pre-class Activities

Introduction to Peking Opera SEC 2

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Section 2 Pre-class Activities

China has more than 360 kinds of local operas which are the most ancient forms of theater that still flourish today. Opera combines acting, singing, poetry, dialogue, and acrobatics. Peking Opera is regarded as the national opera in China and called “Daxi” (drama with complicated plots) for it has a long history and a complete system of stage performance. Other local operas are called “Xiaoxi” (drama with a simple plot), usually developed from singing and story-telling mixed with folk songs and dances.

Peking Opera is purely Chinese opera form which dates back to the year 1790. At that year, four local opera troupes of Anhui Province came to Beijing on a performance tour at the order of the imperial court. The tour was a hit and the troupes stayed. The artists absorbed the tunes of the Hubei local opera and drew on the best of Kunqu opera, Qinqiang opera and Hebei Bangzi and other local operas.

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Section 2 Pre-class Activities Facial Make-ups(脸谱 )

For the painted role, the different colors of the faces represent different characters and personalities. Generally Speaking, red signifies honesty, courage, and bravery. Purple does the same but to a less degree. Black indicates fairness, faith, wisdom, and sometimes rudeness. Blue stands for cruelness and fierceness, and sometimes arrogance. Yellow symbolizes the same negative characters as blue. Green is the colour of an unstable character.

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Section 2 Pre-class Activities

Types of Roles

“Sheng”, “Dan”, “Jing”, and “Chou” are just the terms for four different types of roles. Sheng is the positive male role, Dan is the positive female role, Jing is a supporting male role with striking character, and Chou is the clown. Every type has its telltale facial make-up and decoration.

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Section 2

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SEC 1 Questions:

•What are Daxi and Xiaoxi?

•What do different facial make-ups represent?

What are the four types of roles in Peking Opera?

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Section 3 Situational Dialogue

Dialogue One: Watching Peking Opera

Peter Sara: a visiting scholar to ABC University.

Miss Zhang: a secretary of the Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) of the

university.

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Situational Dialogue

Miss Zhang: Good morning, Peter. Guess what I’ve got? I’ve got some tickets of Peking Opera! Do you want to go with me?

Peter: Great! My friend told me that Peking Opera is a must if you really want to know about China.

Miss Zhang: Yes. Peking Opera is also called national opera of China. It is the quintessence of Chinese culture. Some foreigners call it “Chinese ballet”. It features colorful costumes, elaborate make-ups, and stylized gestures.

Peter: What are the main characteristics of its performing art? Can we foreigners understand it?

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Miss Zhang: Basically, there are four elements of the performance: dialogue, singing, acting and acrobatic fighting.

Peter: What kind of themes are usually reflected in the opera?Miss Zhang: It used to draw its themes from historical episodes

and figures, or folk legends and fairytales. Tonight we’re going to watch Monkey King.

Peter Sounds interesting. It’s quite different from Western operas.

Miss Zhang: You are right. I’ll explain more to you while we’re watching.

Peter: OK.

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Situational Dialogue( In the theater, the performance does not start yet.)Miss Zhang: Peter ， this opera is being performed by the China

Peking Opera Troupe, one of the best in the country.Peter I’m glad that you invite me to watch the opera here. It’s

really amazing, and Peking Opera is a combination of many art forms: traditional amazing, and Peking Opera is much more than an opera.

Miss Zhang: Yes, Peking Opera is a combination of many art forms: traditional Chinese music, poetry, pantomime, acrobatics, martial arts, dancing, singing, as well as elaborate costumes and make-ups.

Peter: WOW! It really calls for careful study.

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Situational Dialogue

Miss Zhang: Peking Opera can be divided into civil plays and military plays. Monkey King belongs to the military play, and the most attractive part in it is the acrobatic fighting which shows Peking Opera as one of the most dynamic forms of theater in the world.

Peter : Sure. I have heard that Monkey King is one of the best-known classical Chinese novels, full of Chinese fables, fairytales, legends, popular belief and monster stories.

Miss Zhang: Oh, Peter, you really know something about Chinese culture. One day you may be an expert on it.

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Situational DialoguePeter: Ha-ha, I just read the brochure before we entered the

theater. Would you please give me an “orientation” before the show so that I can understand more? What is the main plot of the story Monkey King?

Miss Zhang: Monkey King includes three plays that draw on the fables of the Journey to the West, the greatest of all Chinese myth cycles. These three tales follow Monkey King Sun Wukong, a magically powerful but extremely mischievous “ superhero”, as he accompanies the Buddhist monk Xuanzang on his journey to India to seek the Buddhist scriptures.

Peter: I see. Will the play start soon?Miss Zhang: I think so. Ah, here it goes.

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SEC 1 New words and expressions ：the quintessence of sth 典范 精华 精粹pantomime 形体动作， 手势martial art 武术civil play 文戏military play 武戏costume 服装，戏装elaborate adj. 精心制作的make-up 化妆legend 传说 传奇cycle （叙述某一英雄或表现某一主题的）全套故事mischievous 淘气的scripture 经文fairytale 神话故事

Text Part A

Beijing Opera

Originally a form of local theatre, Peking Opera spread

all over the country and then became the national opera of

China1. About 200 years ago, the Qing Emperor Qianlong

toured in southern China and developed an interest in the

local operas. On his 80th birthday, he let local opera

troupes come to Beijing to perform for him. Some remained in Beijing after

the celebration.

The ones from Anhui and Hubei were incorporated with the palace opera -

Kunqu Opera2, which formed the

Peking Opera .Peking Opera combines stylized acting with singing, dancing, musical dialogues, martial arts, colorful facial make-up and fantastic costumes3. Female roles are called as“Dan”, Male roles are “Sheng

”, Painted faces are “Jin” and clowns are “Chou”.4

Each role, according to their sex, age and disposition, is characterized by different designs of facial make-up,5

say, Jing

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representing a rough, frank character and Hua Face representing a cruel

or sinister character. So the audience can easily tell what kind of

character an actor is performing. Facial make-up, costumes and head -

dresses are wonderful works of traditional art.

Guangdong opera

It is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in

southern China’s Cantonese culture. It is popular in Guangdong,

Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, and Malaysia. As in all

versions of Chinese opera, it is a traditional Chinese art form, involving

music, singing, martial arts, acrobatics, and acting. Guangdong

Province, Hong Kong and Macao are jointly trying

to get UN recognition of Guangdong opera as intangible World Heritage6.

An official application has been handed in.

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Henan Opera :

It is commonly called "Henan bangzi". Henan Opera is popular

among the provinces or regions of Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi,

Hubei, Ningxia, Xinjing, and so on, making it one of the most influential

operas in China. Instruments such as the banhu, erhu, sanxian, pipa,

dizi, sheng, and suona, and so on always accompany Henan Opera.

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Vocabulary

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troupe 一团、一班incorporate 合并的，公司组织的

costume 服装，剧装clown 小丑，粗鲁愚昧的人disposition 性情，处置sinister 不吉利的，凶恶的category 种类，类别martial 军事的，战争的recognition 认出，承认intangible 难以明了的，无形的

Part A

Exercises

(1) How did the Peking Opera form?

(2) What does Peking Opera combine stylized acting with?

(3) How many major types of character roles in Beijing Opera?

1. Answer the following questions, according to the text.

Peking Opera combines stylized acting with singing, dancing, musical

dialogues, martial arts, colorful facial make-up and fantastic

costumes.

About 200 years ago, the local opera from Anhui and Hubei were

incorporated with the palace opera -Kunqu Opera, which formed the

Peking Opera

Female roles are called as“Dan”, Male roles are “Sheng”, Painted

faces are “Jin” and clowns are “Chou”.

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(4) At present, what are HK and Macau governments trying to do for

Cantonese Opera?

(5) What are the major musical instruments accompanied in Henan

Opera?

Hong Kong and Macao are jointly trying to get UN recognition of

Guangdong opera as intangible World Heritage. An official

application has been handed in.

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Instruments such as the banhu, erhu, sanxian, pipa, dizi, sheng, and

suona, and so on always accompany Henan Opera.

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

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2. Translate the following passage into Chinese.

The Chinese drama mainly include opera and modern Chinese drama

(Huaju). Different from our traditional Chinese opera, Huaju was not

introduced into China until the 20th century. Opera is an important part of

Chinese culture. It won fans of all dynasties for its enchanting form of

performance.

Answer

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中国戏剧主要包括戏曲和话剧：戏曲是中国固有的传统戏剧，话剧则是20 世纪引进的西方戏剧形式。中国古典戏曲是中华民族文化的一个重要组成部分，她以富于艺术魅力的表演形式，为历代人民群众所喜闻乐见。

Part A

3. Translate the following passage into English.

常香玉，豫剧表演艺术家，被誉为“豫剧皇后”。常香玉 1922 年出生 , 先是跟着父亲学戏， 13 岁因成功主演《西厢记》开始走红戏剧舞台。她塑造的艺术形象众多，从古代女将军一直演到人民公社里的老百姓。她最走红的剧目之一《花木兰》，把一个一千五百年前的传奇女英雄展现在万千观众的眼前。

Answer

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Chinese Henan opera actress Chang Xiangyu, hailed as the "queen of Henan opera,"was born in 1923, she first learned Henan opera under her father and won stage fame at the age of 13, when she acted the part of a lively maid in The Story of West Chamber. She went on to portray dozens of characters varying from an ancient woman general to a commoner in a people's commune. Hua Mulan, one of her best appreciated operas, depicts a legendary heroine from around 1,500 years ago

Part B

Huangmei Opera

Huangmei Opera, formerly named Huangmei

Melodies, has a history of 200 years. It originated in

the tea-collecting songs in the region of Huangmei ,

Hubei Province, it incorporates the folk songs in

Anhui, Hubei and Jiangxi Province. It takes the best parts of ancient

Qingyang Melody and came into being around the area of Anqing, Anhui

Province. Huangmei Opera excels in expressing people's feelings and

various personalities. It is not only loved by local people, but by

international friends as well.

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Part B

Sichuan opera

Sichuan opera is one of the Chinese oldest local operas and is

popular in Sichuan province and some regions of Yunnan and Guizhou

provinces. It is the most significant and most interesting opera form from

Southwestern China. As a stage entertainment, it conveys the idea of

time and space to the audience through performances. The opera is

characterized by its unique solo singing, refined acting, and also its

unique skills: the changing faces, spitting fire, and rolling light.

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Part B

The face changing, or "bianlian" in Chinese, is an important

intangible cultural heritage in China. only a few masters have grasped

this skill. they know how to change Sichuan opera masks in magically

quick succession. As they flourish their arms and twist their heads, their

painted masks change again and again and again, which is considered

to be a magic .

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Part B

Vocabulary

incorporate [ in'kɔ:pəreit ] a.

excel [ ik'sel ] v.

significant [ sig'nifikənt ] a.

convey [ kən'vei ] v.

solo [ 'səuləu ] a.

refined [ ri'faind ] a.

spit [ spit ] n.

succession [ sək'seʃən ] n.

flourish [ 'flʌriʃ ] v.

magic [ 'mædʒik ] n.

合并的 , 公司组织的胜过 , 优于 , 擅长有意义的 , 相当数量的传达 , 运输 , 转移单独的精炼的 , 优雅的 , 精细的唾液 , 小雨连续繁荣 , 茂盛 , 活跃魔法 , 魔术

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Part B

Exercises

(1) What’s the origin of Huangmei Opera?

(2) What are the famous works of Huangmei Opera? Could you tell who

are the most popular actresses for Huangmei Opera?

1. Answer the following questions.

It originated in the tea-collecting songs in the region of Huangmei ,

Hubei Province.

Some excellent operas of Huangmei Opera include: The Heavenly

Maid and the Mortal, Goddess' Marriage, and Emperor's Female Son-

in-law. The most popular actress include Miss Yanfengying, Wuqiong

and Malan etc.

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Part B

(3) What are the typical performing features of Sichuan Opera?

(4) Would you please introduce some unique skills in Sichuan Opera?

(5) Have you ever enjoyed the performance of Face-changing in

Sichuan Opera? How many things do you know about it?

The opera is characterized by its unique solo singing, refined acting.

Its unique skills include: the changing faces, spitting fire, and rolling

light.

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Part B

2. Translate the following passage into Chinese.

Huangmei opera is a kind of local operas in Anhui province. It is also

one of those five main operas of our nation. It has assimilated many

coloratura tunes and ditties such as tea-picking songs, fishing songs and

woodsmen’s songs, and then it was becoming mature. The

representative program is “The Heavenly Maid and the Mortal”.

Huangmei opera was named after the Huangmei hill (Huaining county)

where the opera originated and matured.

Answer

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黄梅戏是安徽地方戏曲剧种之一 , 也是全国五大剧种之一 , 吸收民间茶歌、渔歌、樵歌等花腔小调而发展成熟 , 旋律轻快优美。代表剧目有《天仙配》。因主要曲调起源于怀宁黄梅山而得名。

Part B

3. Translate the following passage into English.

过去人们常常把民间歌曲和舞蹈叫做 : 花鼓戏、采茶戏 ( 舞者左手持茶篮，右手持纸扇表演的民间舞蹈 ) 、花灯戏 ( 地方戏曲 ) 、秧歌戏 ( 民间舞蹈 ) 和彩调戏 ( 地方戏曲 ) 。这些歌曲都是在民乐的基础上发展而来的，而戏曲源自地方流传的曲调。

Answer

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Folk singing and dancing were usually called "huaguxi" (flower-drum

dance), caichaxi" (folk dance in which the dancer carries a basket for

holding tea-leaves in the left hand and a fan in the right), "huadengxi" (local

opera), "yanggexi" (folk dance) and "caidiaoxi" (local opera). The melodies

are based on folk songs, and opera music comes from tunes popular in the

local area.

Part B

4. Search online.

Please search on line for more information about the other Chinese

local operas, such as: Kun opera, shanghai Yue Opera etc. And share

your findings with your classmates.

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Part C

opera fan

a national treasure.

Scene

Drama

Plot

Monologue

Melody

Convey

traditional theatrical pieces

episode

(a play) in three acts and five scenes

戏迷国粹场景戏曲情节] 独角戏悦耳的音调表达传统剧目 插曲 三幕五场

Supplement to the Word Bank

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Part C

rehearsal

chief actress

chief actor

to present on the stage

playwright

historical play

排演女主角男主角搬上舞台剧作家历史剧

Supplement to the Word Bank

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Part C

1. Peking opera has the characteristics of “comprehensiveness”,

“formality”, and “symbolism”.

京剧讲究“综合性”、“形式化”、“象征意义” 2. Peking opera has a lot of acrobatic combat.

京剧有很多的打戏 3. Peking opera has its unique performing style.

京剧有其独特的表演风格 4. Peking opera is the most influential and representative of all operas

in China.

京剧是中国最有影响力和代表性的剧种

Useful Expressions

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Part CUseful Expressions

5. Peking opera. has some classical operas, such as: The King Bids

Farewell to his Concubine, The Crossroads, The White Snake, The

Phoenix Returns to its Nest. Etc.

京剧有很多代表性的经典剧目，如：霸王别姬、三岔口、白蛇传、凤 还巢等。 6. Meilanfang is one of the famous performers who plays the female

lead.

梅兰芳是京剧表演中著名的男扮女装（角色反串）演员 。 7. there are now Beijing opera fans all over the world.

京剧的爱好者遍及全世界。 8. Beijing opera can be divided into the military plays and the singing

plays.

京剧分为文戏和武戏。

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Part CUseful Expressions

9. Chinese traditional drama is thought to have come into being in the

Han Dynasty and became a true art form in the Song Dynasty.

通常认为中国传统戏曲产生于元代而在宋代发展成一种真正的艺术形 式 10. present-day Cantonese opera centers on Bangzi and Erhuang tunes

当今的粤剧以梆子和二黄的曲调为主 11. With regard to Cantonese Opera , we know that there are major

vocal tunes in it which includes: Pinghou, Dahou and Zihou.

说到粤剧，众所周知它的发声包括三类：平喉、大喉和子喉 12. Kunqu has a longer history than any other operatic form in

China.

在中国，昆曲的产生比其它的剧种历史要更悠久。

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Section 4 After-class Activities

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SEC 1 Work in groups of 3-4. Suppose you are going to make a presentation about a local opera. The following points should be covered in your presentation:The type of music and dialect the local opera is based on;The features of the make-up and customs of the local opera;The roles of the local opera;Well-known plays of the local opera.