Chinese Opera
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/arts/chinese-opera.htm
Chinese opera together with Greece tragiccomedy and Indian Sanskrit Opera are the
three oldest dramatic art forms in the world.
During the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907), the
Emperor Taizong established an opera school
with the poetic name Liyuan (Pear Garden).
From that time on, performers of Chinese
opera were referred to as 'disciples of the
pear garden'. Since the Yuan Dynasty (1271 1368) Chinese opera has been encouraged by
court officials and emperors and has become
a traditional art form. During the Qing
Dynasty (1644 - 1911), Chinese opera
Beijing Opera Pictures
became fashionable among ordinary people.
Performances were watched in tearooms, restaurants, and even around makeshift stages.
Chinese opera evolved from folk songs, dances, talking, antimasque, and especially distinctive
dialectical music. Gradually it combined music, art and literature into one performance on the
stage. Accompanied by traditional musical instruments like the Erhu, the gong, and the lute,
actors present unique melodies - which may sound strange to foreigners - as well as dialogues
which are beautifully written and of high literary value. These dialogs also promoted the
development of distinct literary styles, such as Zaju in the Yuan Dynasty. For Chinese,
especially older folks, to listen to this kind of opera is a real pleasure. The Peking Opera band
mainly consists of an orchestra and percussion band. The former frequently accompanies
peaceful scenes while the latter provides the right atmosphere or battle scenes. The band is not
as big as the western orchestra. It usually sits
on the left side of the stage.
Make-up
What appeals to foreigners most might be the
different styles of facial make-up, which is
one of the highlights of Chinese opera and
requires distinctive techniques of painting.
Exaggerated designs are painted on each
performer's face to symbolize a character's
personality, role, and fate. This technique
may have originated from ancient religions
and dance. Audiences who are familiar with
opera can know the story by observing the
Shaanxi Opera (Qinqiang) Pictures
facial painting as well as the costumes.
Generally, a red face represents loyalty and
bravery; a black face, valor; yellow and white faces, duplicity; and golden and silver faces,
mystery.
Besides color, lines also function as symbols. For example, a figure can be painted either all
white on his face, or just around the nose. The larger the white area painted, the more viperous
the role.
Acrobatics
Another technique that fascinates people is
the marvelous acrobatics. Players can make
fire spray out of their mouths when they act
as spirits, or can gallop while squatting to act
as a dwarf. This reflects a saying among
actors: 'One minute's performance on the
stage takes ten years' practice behind the
scenes.'
Over the past 800 years, Chinese opera has
evolved into many different regional varieties
Facial Make-up, Beijing Opera
based on local traits and accents. Today,
there are over 300 dazzling regional opera
styles. Kun opera, which originated around Jiangsu Province, is a typical ancient opera style and
features gentleness and clearness. This enabled it to be ranked among the World Oral and
Intangible Heritages. Qinqiang opera from Shaanxi, known for its loudness and wildness, and Yu
opera, Yue opera, and Huangmei Opera are all very enjoyable. Beijing Opera , the best-known
Chinese opera style, was formed from the mingling of these regional styles.
The Four Opera Character Types
http://www.illuminatedlantern.com/cinema/archives/a_short_history_of_chinese_opera.php
In the Chinese Opera, there are generally four main categories of roles: sheng (the male roles),
dan (the female roles), jing (the painted face roles), and chou (clowns). Each category is further
subdivided into distinct types. An actor typically trains for a single type of role within one
category. Actors who can play multiple types of roles within a single category are considered
especially talented. An actor almost never plays roles outside his or her category.
Sheng 生: There are three main male roles that an actor trains for. The first is Lao Sheng 老生, a
middle-aged or old man. The Lao Sheng 老生 are dignified and refined. They may be high level
scholors or officials, and wear a black hat with fins on either side to denote rank, or a general in a
military play, wearing armour. In either case the Lao Sheng 老生 wears a beard (black or grey,
depending on age). The second type of role is Hsiao Sheng 小生, or young man. The Hsiao
Sheng 小生 sings in a warbling voice to indicate adolescence, and does not wear a beard.
The third type of role is Wu Sheng 武生, or acrobat, who performs much of the most exciting
elements of Chinese Opera. A special Wu Sheng 武生 role is that of the Monkey King, featured
in a number of operas based on the famous story A Journey to the West.
Dan 旦: There are twice as many female role types as there are male. They are divided according
to character, status, and age. Lao Dan 老旦 is the old woman role. The costume is subdued, no
make-up is worn, and the singing voice is natural and therefore lower than that for the other Dan
旦 roles. The Wu Dan 武旦 is the female acrobat, and is equivalent to the Wu Sheng 武生 role
for the men. A Qing Yi 青衣 actress is the noblewoman, of good quality and character. She is the
model or ideal of the Chinese woman. Faithful, proper, shy, graceful. The Hua Dan 花旦,
however, is of a lower social status than the Qing Yi 青衣, and represents a more feisty,
flirtatious young woman. A young woman from a wealthy family, set apart from the world in the
family mansion, is called the Gui Men Dan 贵门旦. This character is still young, and will one
day grow up to become either a Qing Yi 青衣 or a Hua Dan 花旦. Finally, there is the Dao Ma
Dan 刀马旦, or warrior woman. This character typically wears full armour and great peacock
feathers in her hat. The famed military heroines of China are all played as Dao Ma Dan 刀马旦.
The story of Peking Opera Blues, featuring three extraordinary women heroes, is actually titled
'Dao Ma Dan 刀马旦' in Chinese.
Jing 净: The Painted Face role is the most recognizable part of Chinese Opera. This part is
reserved for high-ranking army generals or bandits, warriors or officials. All Jing 净 characters
have their faces painted elaborately, the colors on the face indicating the personality and
temperment of the character. A white face means treachery, black means uprightness, red
indicates courage and virtue, blue denotes cruelty or wild temperment. A mix of multiple colors
indicates a more complicated personality.
Chou 丑: The clown is the only role that can break the 'fourth wall,' so to speak, and reference
current or local events and speak in colloquialisms. Male clowns are easily recognizable because
they all wear a distinctive white patch of make-up around the nose and eyes. This same make-up
is sometimes used for mean-spirited villains as well. Female clowns do not have the white makeup patch but instead have a reddened face with black eyebrows.
Setting of the Stage
On the Chinese Opera stage, scenery and props are sparse. Often, only a table and chairs are set
on the stage and to signify various thrones, mountains, and so on throughout the story. A
character committing suicide by jumping down a well may in performance simply be stepping
off a chair and walking off stage.