peking (beijing) opera

peking opera, the unique theatrical synthesis of song and dance, acting and acrobatics, was originally a form of local theatre in north china, but its popularity has now spread throughout china. like most chinese local operas, it is truly a comprehensive art combining stylized acting with singing, acrobatics, and colorful costumes. it has become the most popular and influential of more than a hundred kinds of dramatic forms on the chinese stage.

peking opera began to emerge in its present form more than 200 years ago to the time of qing emperor qianlong (1736-1795). on his frequent hunting expeditions in south-central china, emperor qianlong developed an interest in the local operas. in 1790, to celebrate his 80th birthday, he summoned opera troupes from different localities to perform for him in beijing. four famous troupes from anhui province remained in beijing after the celebrations, and the vigorous clear tunes of anhui opera gradually re- placed kunqu opera, which had been popular in the palace and among the upper classes in beijing. in 1828, a hubei troupe came to beijing and often performed together with the anhui troupes. these two types of singing blended on the same stage and gradually gave birth to a new genre, which came to be known as beijing opera. therefore, beijing opera has incorporated the best elements from operatic forms.

in the early part of the 20th century, millions went to the opera house-- more like a teahouse or a variety theatre--and largely through the acting genius of the late mei lanfang (1894-1961), peking opera even influenced western artists such as british film artist charles spencer chaplin (1889-1977), and german playwright and poet bertold brecht (1898-1956).

the singing in peking opera is highly stylized but its variations of rhythm and pitch enable the performer to express the thoughts and emotions of different characters in different situations. recitatives may be in dialogue and monologue form; either a special kind of musical speech, yunbai (spoken parts in peking opera where the traditional pronunciation of certain words is slightly different from that in current beijing dialect), or standard spoken chinese, fingbai (parts in peking opera spoken in beijing dialect or capital vernacular) may be employed. acting in peking opera encompasses a set range of movements, gestures and expressions. every movement or pose, such as stroking a beard, setting a hat straight, swinging a sleeve or lifting a foot, has its own "formula" or pattern, which has been reduced to its essentials and perfected.

the art of illusion is one of peking opera' s most important characteristics, expressed through techniques of exaggeration and concentration, h is said that peking opera performers conquer time and space. backdrops and stage props axe kept to a minimum; often a table and two chairs in front of a big curtain is regarded as sufficient. the three dimensional stage props of modern western drama are seen as superfluous or even as an encumbrance. the performers use gestures and body movements to represent actions such as opening and closing a door, going up or down a building or a mountain, and embarking, disembarking or traveling by boat. a decorated whip represents a horse, a paddle, a boat and two pennants embroidered with wheels of a carriage. when an actor walks in a circle, it means he has gone on a long journey. four generals and four soldiers signify an army and fighting in the dark through dance and acrobatics on a brightly lit stage. by such techniques, passed down and developed by generations of performers, peking opera has made it possible to transform a small stage into the whole universe.

stringed and wind instruments are used for the musical accompaniment to peking opera, but even more characteristic as the percussion instruments-gongs and drams of different sizes and types, and castanets made of padank wood and bamboo. the most important stringed instrument is the jinghu (a kind of two-stringed fiddle) followed by the erhu (also a two-stringed fiddle), plus some plucked instruments such as yueqin (a kind of mandolin with four strings). the stringed instruments are played in unison but do not practice western-style harmony.

the character roles in peking opera are finely differentiated according to age and disposition. female roles are called dan, male roles are sheng, clowns are chou. roles' characterized by the use of different patterns of facial make-up which distinguish a rough, frank character from a cruel or sinister one are called fingjiao or hua lian (painted faces); the audience knows from the colours and patterns what kind of character is being portrayed. for instance, red signifies loyalty and courage, yellow signifies fierceness, white usually signifies villainy and black signifies honesty and straightforwardness. spirits, monsters, immortals and buddhas are often identified by gold and silver. there are different performing styles also for each of these role types, including different styles of singing.

the elaborate and gorgeous costuming of peking opera is one of its special characteristics. they are based on the style of the ming dynasty costume, with much use of deep red, deep green, yellow, white, black and blue. strongly contrasting colors are freely used, and embroidery in gold, silver and colored thread. they are strict rules for costumes based on rank character and life-style. the stage props are decorated and beautified versions of their real-life counterparts, and are often works of art in them- selves.

the plot-development of peking opera does not conform to the general pattern of other types of drama. in modern theatre and drama, the struggle between heroes and villains is gradually developed, and the final outcome is left to the end. but in peking opera, the heroes and villains revealed as soon as they appear on the stage. the audiences for peking opera, have gone beyond the desire to know the outcome: they are already familiar with the plots about the monkey king, xiang yu the conqueror, the women generals of the yang family. it is rather the magic of the performance itself and the skilful techniques of the singing, dancing and acrobatics, which attract them. for this reason the same piece can be seen over and over a- gain without boredom. the first performer to introduce beijing opera abroad was the famous dan actor mei lanfang (1894-1961), who went to japan in 1919, to the united states in 1929 and the soviet union in 1935. in 1932, another famous peking opera, cheng yanqiu, made a tour of europe and gave performances and lectures. since 1949 peking opera troupes have made frequent trips abroad, to places such as japan, .europe, latin america, the united states and africa. today peking opera has won high praise throughout the world.

recently, traditional opera has undergone something of a renaissance and there are performances nightly in beijing. overseas tourists should not miss the opportunity to see one, even though tourists will be baffled by much of it. most operas are based on folk mythology or classical literature, but don't worry about the plots (even many chinese have difficulty following the archaic language and the words of songs are usually screened at the side of the stage to assist audiences). what impress the audience most is the sumptuous costumes and make-up and the acrobatic battle scenes (like circus performers, opera artists are rigorously trained from early child- hood.) everything in the opera has significance--from the embroidery on a robe indicating the wearer's rank to the pattern and color of his make-up, expressing character. as in other asian dance forms, gestures, even of fingers and eyes, are all-important. and mime is a key element. very few people are used and it is up to the actor to show, by lifting a foot that he is going through a doorway, or by waving a whip that he is riding a horse.

swords and staves will be brandished and twirled at breakneck speed in flight sequences without the actors ever touching one another. for the aficionados, it is the singing that matters (old timers talk of "listening to" rather than "watching" an opera,) but the lengthy arias may seem strange to ears raised on western harmonies.

likewise the harsh, percussive sound of the orchestra, which sits on one side of the stage and is led by an "erhu," or two-stringed chinese fiddle.

among the most famous peking operas are "the monkey king,' "the drunken beauty," "the white snake,' "crossroads," "a fisherman's revenge," and "strategy of an unguarded city." but for the newcomer, program of excerpts featuring the highlights of two or three operas is recommended, since entire performance may prove a little much to take at one setting.

theatres regularly presenting peking opera include chang'an, liyuan at qianmen hotel, and hunan guild. beijing international amateur peking opera festival it was held from july 7 to 11, 2000. the festival brought 79 performers from the chinese mainland, hong kong, and taiwan, as well as from japan, the republic of korea, the philippines, russia, india, sweden, morocco, sudan, and the united states to demonstrate their love for, and mastery of, the ancient chinese performance art. mei baojiu, the son of mei ianfang, the greatest 20th century master of peking opera has been deeply involved in peking opera for the whole of his life. during the festival, he served as one of the adjudicators of the show. this peking opera festival stimulated amateur activities and ensured that this essential aspect of the traditional chinese culture will survive into the future. mei lanfang and his museum mei lanfang (1894-1961), a greatest artist who devoted most of his life and energy to peking opera, won his name for his creative performances, especially in playing dan, the role of young women. the mei lanfang museum was set up in 1983. it is a typical siheyuan.

(1) a compound, with houses around a courtyard, was where mai lanfang spent his last 10 years with his family. the main courtyard keeps its original style and design. in the exhibition room, photos, objects, and the charts are shown to explain mei lanfang's artistic life.

(2) a quadrangle is a compound with rows of rooms built in the four directions so that a square inner courtyard is formed at the centre. old beijing inhabitants used to call it sihefang--(sihe means "surrounding from all directions")

(3) piaoyou--a passionate peking opera buff.

the four grand masters of peking opera

the history of male actors play in female roles could be traced back to the folk performing arts spreading along the yellow river and yangtze river a thousand years ago, which were refined and developed in practices that reached the present level of artistic interpretations. in recent years, the most famous male actors contributing greatly to peking opera are: 4 grand masters: mei lanfang (1894-1961), shang xiaoyun (1899-1976), xun huisbeng (1899-1968), cheng yanqiu (1904-1958); 4 masters: li shi- fang, zhang junqiu, mao shilai, and song dezhu. owing to the changes in history, china does not cultivate male actors anymore.

peking opera glossary

the male impersonator must now, as then, learn how to walk naturally and gracefully. the older feminine roles for instance--called laodan (the role of an old woman in traditional opera) parts, in which mothers and aunts, dowager queens and other elderly ladies were impersonated--had always to be done in so slow and dignified a manner that it is said that actors could not consider themselves perfect until they could hold a brush between their knees and walk about without letting it fall. women's roles of maid servants and the like, wearing gaudy costumes, are called huadan (one of the main divisions of the dan or female role in traditional opera-- traditionally the role for a woman of questionable morals, notably a coquettish maid servant or an amorous young woman, bold, seductive, and charming; great emphasis being placed on acting), and women clown parts caidan (the feminine counterpart to the chou role, or female comedians-- portraying a shrew, a dangerous woman, or the ever-present matchmaker, all comic, lowly, and mean)or choudan (comic role--one of the four main roles in traditional opera, the other three being sheng (male role--one of the four main roles in traditional opera, the other three being dan, ting, and chou; sheng can be subdivided into laosheng, xiaosheng, and wusheng, ) dan , and ring; recognized by the patch of white paint around the eyes and nose, sometimes outlines in black, and representing foolish, awkward, or stingy people, though not necessarily evil ones).

among actors there are several well-defined categories in which they move. for instance, the sheng are the actors of the chief male roles. this category is subdivided into older men with beards (laosheng or xusheng), young men (xiaosheng), the scholar officials (wensheng), and the army men (wusheng). these last have to be specially trained as their fighting includes much high-grade acrobatic work, which demands a very fine degree of co-ordination. the scholar officials (wensheng) have to bring to their roles all the dignity, poise and good manners possible, and the young lads (xiaosheng) must sing in a high falsetto to convey an impression of extreme youth.

next to the sheng actors are the dan players who perform the women's roles. these too have their subdivisions: the lox, dan who are the elderly, dignified women; the qingyi who are the middle aged and somberly dressed matrons; and that most exciting of female roles, the huadan, the women who have more acting than singing to do. then there are the guimendan who represent the innocent young women still kept at home.

then there are the daomadan, the tough, hard-riding, fighting women like the famous female warrior hua mulan or the woman leader of a rebellion.

the jing actors play the parts of adventurers, heroes, bandits or other tough-natured people. the chou are the clowns; their task is the same as that of the western clown--to keep the audience laughing and to improvise quips at the right moment to break the tension in some serious play.

other characters are the mo or fumo--a kind of sheng but not so imposing; perhaps an old servant or a barbarian general or some other minor ~ character. then there are the fujing who are minor .ring characters; these are perhaps not only fierce and tough but also somewhat ridiculous, or at any rate, hardly heroic.

moustaches and beards also have special significance. the beard divided into three indicates the righteousness and integrity of the wearer. a short moustache shows that the wearer is somewhat crude and rough, and those, which sweep upwards belong to tricky, slippery fellows.

perhaps the most fascinating study in connection with stage costume is that of the painted faces of the actors. masks are won usually only when animals are represented--tiger, wolf, pig, bear and so on. the art of painting the face, however, has been very highly developed; and each painted face has a special meaning to the knowledgeable theatergoers.

the sheng can be divided into laosheng, xiaosheng, wawasheng and wusheng in traditional opera. laosheng is one of the main divisions of the male role in traditional opera (the laosheng actor is always bearded and represents a man of maturity and integrity, e.g. a middle-aged scholar, magistrate, a statesman, etc. )

xiaosheng is one of the main divisions of the sheng or male role in traditional opera (representing young students, scholars, or warriors; xiaosheng actor never wears a beard and speaks and sings in a mixture of high falsetto and tenor).

wawasheng a subdivision of the xiaosheng role in traditional opera, representing loud-voiced boys.

wusheng is one of the main divisions of the sheng or male role in traditional opera (portraying military heroes, high-ranking generals, and heroic out- laws; the wusheng actor being majestic in bearing and skilled in acrobatic performance, swift movement, and agile play with weapons).

the dan is female role (one of the four main roles in traditional opera, the other three being sheng, ting, chou;) the dan is again subdivided into qingyi, huadan, wudan, and daomadan (laodan). qingyi is one of the main divisions of the dan or female role in traditional opera (portraying faithful wives, chaste women, and maidens in distress or poverty but noble in character).

huadan is one of the main divisions of the dan or female role in traditional opera (traditionally the role for a woman of questionable morals, notably a coquettish maid servant or an amorous young woman, bold, seductive, and charming; great emphasis being placed on acting. ) wudan is one of the main divisions of the dan or female role in traditional opera (representing a military maiden, a princess of martial character, or a woman bandit; combining the most charming feminine virtues with those of masculine character). daomadan sword-and-horse dan--a subdivision of the wudan role (portraying horse-women and female warriors, who wear tight-fitting clothes, twirl weapons, and perform acrobatic feats). laodan is the role of an old woman in traditional opera.

jing painted-face role (one of the four main roles in traditional opera, the other three being sheng, dan and chou, so called from the variety of intricate and startling patterns in brilliant colors painted on the faces of the players; the ting or painted-face actor represents a man of general, a minister, a brigand, or a demon, singing and speaking in a full raucous voice rising to protracted enunciation of tremendous volume).

chou comic role (one of the four main roles in traditional opera, the other three being sheng, dan and ting; recognized by the patch of white paint around the eyes and nose, sometimes outlined in black, and representing foolish, awkward, or stingy people, though not nec- essarily evil ones); comedian; clown; three-flower face (another name for chou, presumablyfrom the outline of the white patch on the face).

peking opera face patterns

face patterns represent a unique make-up art of the traditional chinese dramatic form. they follow a set mode in composition, sketching and coloring.

face patterns date far back in history. ancient chinese entertainers sometimes wore masks known as "dummy faces." mask-wearing dancers of the sui and tang dynasties and the non-human impersonators of the yuan operas further promoted their popularity. in time, following the development of the opera and the needs of the performances, the mask was replaced by the painted patterns. at first only red, white and black colours were used for decoration, while the bolder colours were reserved for demons and monsters and outlaws, and only the eyebrows and sockets were painted. it was not until the ming dynasty that a fairly complete gallery of face patterns took shape. the peking opera face patterns were developed on the basis of the hubei and anhui operas, and by borrowing from the kunqu, yiyang and bangzi operas.

only male characters, especially the ting, or "painted face," wear face patterns. they make up exaggerating the most typical characteristics of the roles they play in mental outlook, moral character, sentiment, appearance, age and status. as soon as an actor steps onto the stage, his painted face gives a clear concept of his character-loyal or traitorous, good or evil. the audiences have long accepted such expressions. in general, red stands for loyalty and uprightness; purple, courage and resolution; black, toughness and irascibility; yellow, brutality and scheme; white, treachery and machination; gold and silver, mythical figures. different characters are represented with their faces painted with ingenious patterns in different colors.

the dominant co]our and the minutely executed patterns highlight the character without imparting a sense of confusion.

flowery-face role--a popular name for ring (so called from the elaborate facial painting)

 

 

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