OPERA PEKING
CONTENTS History Performers And Roles Mei Baojiu Costumes Music Properties Masks: A Mirror Of The Soul
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HISTORY
“Beijing Opera” (I refuse to use the word Peking it’s absolutely ridiculous), is a form of Chinese opera. Despite its name, which centers it around Beijing, The Anhui portion of what makes up Beijing opera was brought to the capital in 1790 for a celebration of the emperor Qianlong’s birthday. The Hubei was brought in 1828, and when the twain met, they started to form what in 1845 was the fully-developed Beijing opera. Beijing Opera differentiates itself from the form though the use of different instruments, simplified melodies, reduction of vocal demands, and the introduction of true acrobatics into the performance. It became an increasingly popular form in 19th century, endorsed by Cixi Taihou herself. It overtook even the older, more refined, established forms, such as kunqu something which is attributed to the simplicity of the form.
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At first, jingju was not
readily accessible by women opera itself being restricted to an all-men art form by Qianlong Huangdi. Thus, it became the norm (and is something that often again to this day) for men to the crossdress in order to play the dan, or female, roles. But women began to unofficially appear in jinju in the 1870s, and Li Maoer, a former opera performer, created the first all-woman jingju troupe in Shanghai, and by the 1890s, the first commercial venues showcasing women in jingju appeared in Shanghai. And though male dan has not been rendered extinct, the ban on women in jingju was lifted in 1912 with the establishment of Republic.
Women-opera
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“Dancers in costume, China, 1946.”
After 1949, the Communist Party tried to incorporate art into their policy and banned all operas with non-communist themes during the Cultural Revolution. Also during the Cultural Revolution, the “model operas” were established by Mao Zedong’s wife at the time, Jiang Qing, and were meant to “conform to the proletarian ideology.”
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This has lead to a series of reforms in opera including schools to improve quality performance, the introduction of more modern elements into jingju, the development of new operas however, lack of funding and an adverse political climate has hampered the effort significantly.
Mei Lanfang, opera legend’s, hand gestures.
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Furthermore, Beijing opera has shifted from a more actor based development of character to a more western director-based development, and has also started to show call “technique for technique sake,� two things which are derided by performers.
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Actor and actress after show
After the establishment of the Republic of China, schools became more formal, and even stricter, with pupils rising as early as five and being beaten with bamboo sticks if a student made a mistake. Prior to the Japanese invasion in 1931, however, more lenient schools began to appear. 11 Arts
Schooling nowadays place a greater emphasis on academics and hierarchy, with teachers splitting students into primary, secondary, and tertiary roles, depending on talent. Arts 12
Training to be an opera performer is an arduous task, one often begun at a very young age. Children are taught acrobatics, singing, and gestures (with a focus on imbuing highly stylised beauty into every movement) and are expected to know four main skills of Beijing opera — song, speech, dance-acting (which includes dance and pantomime), and combat (which includes acrobatics and knowing how to fight with a range of weapons).
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Training in the past was known to be exceedingly strict — pupils used to be handpicked by the masters and owed a debt to their teachers upon graduation, as their living fees were paid for by their teachers, and expected to pay that back through earnings.
Makeup before show
PERFORMERSANDROLES INPEKINGOPERA
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Sheng ç”&#x; Sheng is the main male role. The senior male role is Laosheng, dignified, older bearded man with a gentle cultivated disposition, acting with decency and Laosheng roles include generals and high-ranking military officers with a cultivated disposition than real life The beard is black or white, depending on the role's age, and the costumes are less colorful than the warriors with a painted face. Hongsheng, this character has a red face, and a vigorous and high pitched voice. Another is Xiaosheng, which is a young male character, without a beard, who sings in a high, shrill voice that occasionally breaks like that of an adolescent. Xiaosheng can be divided into Wen Xiaosheng - a young scholar - and Wu Xiaosheng a young warrior. Depending on the role's position in society, their costumes could be simple or elaborate, with the young warrior featuring long pheasant feathers rising in sweeping curves from his hat. There is also the acrobatic male character, Wusheng, who has a good natural singing voice and must be very good at martial arts, combat and acrobatics. swords and a shield.
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Dan ć—Ś Any female role is referred to as Dan, for which there are several subtypes. Old women are played by Laodan; martial, acrobatic women are Wudan young female warriors are Daomadan; virtuous and elite women are Zhengdan (Qingyi); vivacious , unmarried women are Huadan. Qingyi is the most important role in Peking Opera, playing characters that are dignified, serious, and decent, mostly wives or mothers. The costumes are yellow, the movements are small, and the singing is pure and high pitched. Like the male role, Wusheng, the Daomadan female actors are trained for action and skillful performance. The role features an impressive headdress, and military weapons.
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Jing
The Jing is a male role with a painted face, who may play either a primary or a secondary role. The performer needs to be a forceful character with a strong voice, and able to gestures. There are 15 basic facial patterns, but over 1000 specific variations of these, with each one being unique to a particular character. It could be a comic role, a villainous character, or a righteous person. He has a robust, gruff, bass voice, and along with his swaggering, self-assertive manner, be is the most forceful character in his scenes. The actor's face color speaks of his character - red for good, black for brave or upright or reckless, white for treacherous and cunning, yellow for brutal, and blue for wild.
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Chou 丑
The Chou is a male clown role. The actor's nose is always painted with white powder, making him easily recognizable. In Chinese, 'chou' means "ugly", and the idea is that a combination of the clown's ugliness and laughter can drive away evil spirits. The subtypes of this role are Wenchou, which is a civilian role such as merchants and jailers, and Wuchou, which plays minor military roles. While the Chou plays minor roles, the characters are generally a bit foolish, but amusing and likable. Their costumes are sometimes simple for lower status characters, and elaborate, for high status characters.
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MEI BAOJIU Beijing, April 25 (Xinhua) – Mei Baojiu, the famous Beijing opera performer and son of a legendary Chinese theater mogul Mei Lanfang, died at the age of 82 in Beijing. Mei fell into a coma following a
Baojiu was the head of Mei Lanfang
bronchial spasm and died at 11a.m.
Peking opera troupe under the Jingju
in the hospital, according to the
Theater Company of Beijing. He was
Jingju Theater Company of Beijing.
famous for his performance in such classical plays as:
Born on March 29, 1934 in Shang-
“Farewell My Concubine,”
hai, Mei Baojiu was the ninth child
“Lady General Mu Takes Command,”
and successor of Mei Lanfang, one
“The Drunken Beauty.”
of the most respected Chinese artists of the 20th century and
People mourn with deep grief for Mei
creator of the “Mei School” style of
Baojiu. The last picture is Mei Baojiu
Peking opera.
with his father Mei Lanfang.
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Peking Opera masters Mei Baojiu (right) and his father Mei Lanfang (1894-1961) performs Peony Pavilion in Shanghai on January 15, 1950. Mei died today at the age of 82. -- Xinhua
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PEKING OPERA COSTUMES A Display of History, Culture, and Fine Craftsmanship Costumes of Peking Opera play a pivotal role in helping viewers understand and appreciate the opera as a whole. Known in Chinese as “xingtou” (costumes of actors) or “juzhuang” (Peking Opera costumes), these general terms describe clothing worn by various characters in Peking Opera
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Costumes of actors) or “juzhuang� (Peking Opera costumes)
With exquisite embroidery, exaggerated patterns and bright colors, the costumes give the audience a sense of luxury and beauty. They not only show the distinctive characteristics of each actor in the drama, but also enhance the artistic visual effect enjoyed by the audience.
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Costumes of Luxury Peking Opera has been called the quintessence of Chinese culture because it embodies the essence of opera culture.
Buzi, a square embroidered design, usually adorned on the front and back of an official robe
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Music Properties Pipa (ç?ľç?ś) Chordophone-lute-plucked-fretted The spectacular back and sides of this unique Ming-dynasty instrument feature more than 110 hexagonal ivory plaques, with thinner bone plaques on the neck. Each plaque is carved with Taoist, Confucian, or Buddhist figures, symbols signifying prosperity, happiness, and good luck. These include images of various gods, immortals, such as Shou Lao, the Daoist god of longevity, who is shown with a prominent forehead on the single plaque at the very top. When the instrument is played, this expert workmanship remains unseen by the listener, as the back faces the player. The front is relatively plain but shows signs of use. The ivory string holder bears a scene featuring four figures and a bridge; an archaic cursive inscription; and, at the lip, a bat motif with leafy tendrils. Above the lower frets, two small insets depict a spider and a bird, and just before the rounded upper frets, a trapezoidal plaque portrays two men, one with a fish. The finial repeats the bat (good luck) motif.
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Ruan
Ruan, also called the Chinese Moon guitar, is a four-stringed lute with a long, straight fretted neck that dates back to the Qin dynasty (about 200 B.C.E.). It is a predecessor to the Pipa or Chinese guitar. It is named after Ruan Xian, one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. (The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove were a group of Chinese scholars, writers, and musicians in the third century C.E.). The ruan is most often played in Peking Opera and is also used in modern Chinese orchestras.
Guzheng Guzheng, also known an the “Chinese Zither,” is a plucked string instrument similar to a western zither or harp. It is different than other Chinese zithers because it has movable bridges. It dates back to Ancient China, with an early version originating in the Warring States period (475–221B.C.E.). It has 16 or more strings, which are played with fingerpicks made from ivory, tortoiseshell, resin, or hard plastic. It is usually tuned to a five-note or pentatonic scale.
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Erhu
Erhu or Er-hu, is a bowed string instrument with two strings. It is a cousin of the Western violin. It is a member of the huqin family’s bowed instruments. Hu refers to the word “foreign” or “the northern folk” and qin is a general name of stringed instruments. It is used in traditional Chinese music, but it is sometimes used in contemporary arrangements as well. The erhu is believed to have originated in Central Asia and to have been introduced to China more than one thousand years ago.
Guqin Guqin, or Qin, is a plucked, seven-stringed zither. It has been popular with scholars as an instrument of “great refinement” since ancient times. There is a famous Chinese saying “a gentleman does not part with his qin or se without good reason.” It is sometimes called “the father of Chinese music” or “the instrument of the sages.” It is even associated with the philosopher Confucius. Unlike the guzheng, the bridges on the guqin are fixed.
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Sheng Sheng is a free-reed mouth organ. It has a sound similar to an accordion. It is one of oldest musical instruments in China dating back to at least 1100 B.C.E. It’s traditionally use as accompaniment for solosuona or dizi performances, but in the modern Chinese orchestra it is played for both melody and harmonic support. It is made of bamboo pipes (usually 17) insered into a metal chamber with finger holes.
Souna
Suona, also called laba or haidi, is a Chinese double-reed horn. It has distinctive loud, high-pitched sound, which carries very long distances. It is often used in musical ensembles that perform outdoors, as military ensembles and Taoist religious processions.
Bone Flute or Gudi Bones Flutes, also called gudi, are the oldest known musical instruments in China, dating back to more than 9 thousand yearsago.
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Bamboo Flute or Dizi
Dizi, also known as the di or hĂŠngdi, is a flute widely used in many genres of Chinese traditional music.
Bo
Tanggu
Bo is a percussion instrument that is made of two metal plates that are clashed together.
Tanggu is a medium-sized drum with an animal-skin drumhead.
Zhangu Zhangu, or war drum, is a large, low-pitched drum. Its head is traditionally made of buffalo hide. It was used in ritual music and traditional wedding bands. It is played with two sticks.
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Peking Opera Masks: A Mirror Of The Soul
When you talk about China, people think about the Great Wall of China and then the Chinese cuisine. Whether you visit Zurich, Munich, Toronto or Istanbul or any other big city around the world, you can find Chinese restaurants renowned for their dishes and service. Here, another thing you can observe besides the global influence of the Chinese cuisine is the Peking Opera masks and the makeup of artists. As the Chinese New Year draws close, you can see the characters of these operas on posters and billboards written in Chinese on the streets of many cities. But the real performance is not on the streets but in the Peking Opera – a garden of art painted in red, purple, yellow, and any color you can imagine with smiling, frightening, or shocking faces featuring exaggerated gestures. This 200-year-old tradition presents dramas that arise curiosity not only for the artists’ splendent and brightly colored faces but also for its ways of expression, gestures, and songs.
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MEP DESIGNER D2006H2 Giáo Viên: Nguyễn Lê Giang Thực hiện: Trần Vinh Vinh