ABOUT 200 years ago, during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), four opera troupes from East China's Anhui Province - Sanqing, Sixi, Chuntai and Hechun, entered the capital, Peking.
The troupes combined Kunqu Opera, Qinqiang Opera, Handia Opera and other styles popular in Peking's theatrical circles at that time.
The present Peking Opera came into being over a half century ago by combining and integrating different styles. It now has the richest repertoire of all operas in China.
Jingju or Peking Opera is an art form most representative of Chinese traditional culture. The most outstanding characteristic is the core of its performance, referred to as Total Theatre, which synthesizes and harmonizes dance, song, theatre, mime, martial arts and poetry. A unique art form, it consists of stylized, strongly rhythmical movements; concise and precise composition; fictitious plots; and interesting and engaging characters. Vocal techniques, rhythms and melodies vary according to the thoughts and feelings of the characters. In performance, the artist adheres to basic, strict conventions, yet at the same time, flexibly adapts them to suit the plot. These conventions are based on real life experiences but presented in an artistic and symbolic manner. This unique combination of realism and abstractness creates a set of sophisticated formulae embodying rich theatrical meaning.
The repertoire of Peking Opera mainly comes from tales of previous ages, important historical events, legends about emperors, ministers and generals, stories of geniuses and great beauties. There are four major role categories: Sheng (male), Dan (female), Jing (painted faced) and Chou (clown). Traditionally, roles in the Peking Opera were divided according to one‚s natural talent and artistic skills rather than one‚s biological sex. The term Nan-Dan is used for male playing female roles. Peking Opera was played exclusively by men in the past. We can compare this gender exclusivity theatrical form to the English’s Elizabethan theatre, the Japanese Kabuki theatre and the Indian Katakali theatre.
Peking Opera has had an extensive influence on modern European theatre through Stanislavski, Brecht, Meyerhold and Grotowski and yet, in the West, is one of the least understood of the world’s dramatic arts.
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