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