{"id":64,"date":"2017-10-02T15:54:54","date_gmt":"2017-10-02T12:54:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/?p=64"},"modified":"2023-05-16T11:15:52","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T08:15:52","slug":"theatre-of-the-capital-or-the-peking-opera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/theatre-of-the-capital-or-the-peking-opera\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cTheatre of the Capital\u201d or the Peking Opera"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>A Creation of the Qing Dynasty (1644\u20131911)<\/h2>\n<p>During the Qing dynasty (1644\u20131911) China was again ruled by foreigners, this time by the Manchus. They, however, greatly appreciated many aspects of Chinese culture and thus the Qing dynasty was, in fact, a fruitful period for the arts. The beginning of the dynasty was overshadowed by riots and revolts but a long period of peace began during the reign of the art-loving Emperor Kangxi (K\u2019ang-hsi) (who ruled 1662\u20131722).<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 20%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-64 gallery-columns-5 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi042.jpg'><img width=\"398\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi042.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1392\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1392'>\n\t\t\t\tThe largest and technically most complex stage structures in China are usually the imperial stages. This one is in the Summer Palace, near Beijing. <span>Jukka O. Miettinen<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The popularity of the sophisticated southern <i>kunqu<\/i> or <i>kun opera<\/i> was already declining. It was still admired by the educated elite, but its southern dialect and complicated lyrics made it difficult to be appreciated in North China. There, audiences preferred their own regional styles with familiar dialects, stories and melodies. Many regional opera styles from different parts of the country gained popularity in Peking at the beginning of the new dynasty.<\/p>\n<p>The opera-loving Emperor Qianlong (Ch\u2019ien-lung) (who ruled 1736\u20131795) invited troupes from the province of Anhui to the capital to perform their local style, the <i>bangzi opera<\/i> or the <i>clapper opera<\/i>, which has already been discussed above. They performed at the Emperor\u2019s eightieth-birthday celebrations, but their performances proved so successful that the troupes stayed on, becoming increasingly popular.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 16%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-64 gallery-columns-6 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi043.jpg'><img width=\"448\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi043.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-1393\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-1393'>\n\t\t\t\tWhite Snake was originally written for kun opera but is also often performed as a Peking opera. The snake sprits wander on earth in human form. <span>The Archives of Finland\u2013China Society<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Over a period of time they began to adapt the technical characteristics of other local styles. One very important person in this process was the <i>bangzi<\/i> actor Cheng Changgeng (Ch\u2019eng Ch\u2019ang-keng), who, in his performances, combined elements from, among others, the <i>kunqu<\/i> and the clapper opera. After an evolution spanning decades the fusion process led to a new form of opera, called <i>jingju (ching-ch\u00fc)<\/i> or \u201c<i>theatre of the capital\u201d<\/i>. In the West it is known as the <i>Peking Opera.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>In the beginning this new style was known only in the capital, where it gained great favour in the reign of the Empress Dowager Cixi (Tz\u2019\u00fb-hsi) (1835\u20131908). In the 1860s mobile troupes of performers also started to perform Peking Opera outside the capital area. It spread around the country and thus gained its status as a \u201cnational style\u201d. In 1919 Peking Opera was performed for the first time outside China, in Japan. Soon Peking Opera troupes were also visiting the United States and Russia, taking this art form to within reach of western audiences and theatre reformers, such as Brecht, Stanislavsky, Craig etc. Peking Opera is still today the most widely studied and performed traditional form of theatre in China. In 2010 it was added to UNESCO list of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity.<\/p>\n<h2>Peking Opera Plays<\/h2>\n<p>In the process of constructing the new Peking Opera, many elements were adopted from the former \u201cnational style\u201d, the <i>kunqu<\/i>. There are, however, also clear differences between these two styles. As stated already, <i>kun operas<\/i> employ southern melodies as well as sophisticated and complex poetry. Because the poetic scripts were usually performed from the beginning to the end, the plays were often very long. To be fully appreciated <i>kunqu<\/i> required a deep knowledge of literature.<\/p>\n<p>In Peking Opera the written play is generally only a kind of working script, not a piece of literature. It consists of basic plots which have been abstracted from different sources, such as older <i>kunqu<\/i> plays, from popular stories, historical romances, and themes from storytellers\u2019 repertory. Generally speaking, the authors remained anonymous and in many cases the scripts were compiled by actors.<\/p>\n<p>The scripts include only a very few, if any, stage directions. This is probably because they were written in the context of established theatrical conventions which were familiar to all the performers and the audience. The dialect used by the Peking actors is predominantly Mandarin Chinese, although it contains elements from other dialects as well.<\/p>\n<p>The Peking opera plays can be divided into two basic groups. They are the <i>wenxi (wen-hsi)<\/i>, or the \u201ccivilian plays\u201d and the <i>wuxi (wu-hsi)<\/i> or the \u201cmartial plays\u201d. The <i>wen<\/i> plays deal with people\u2019s everyday lives, and often include love stories. The <i>wu<\/i> plays are regularly based on the historical stories of heroic battles and they may have patriotic overtones. One popular source for this kind of plays is the famous <i>Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Sanguo yanyi (San-kuo yen-i)<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>The Manchu rulers were originally warriors, and thus the <i>wu<\/i> plays suited their taste better than emotional <i>wen<\/i> plays. The <i>wu<\/i> plays require vigorous, often violent action, such as fighting, acrobatics, sword display etc. Thus it was through the <i>wu<\/i> or the martial repertory, which dominates the Peking opera repertory, that the martial arts and acrobatics became an inseparable element of the Peking Opera.<\/p>\n<p>Peking Opera repertory can further be divided according to which skills or aspects are emphasised in the plays. Thus one can speak of, for example, \u201csinging plays\u201d, \u201crecitation plays\u201d, \u201cplot plays\u201d, \u201cfighting plays\u201d etc. In the Peking opera tradition it is very common that whole plays are not always shown from the beginning to the end. Instead, a performance can concentrate on one act of a whole opera. Kinds of multi-act performances, called <i>zhexi (che-hsi),<\/i> are also very common<i><\/i>. They consist of famous highlights or single acts from popular operas.<\/p>\n<h2>Spaces for Theatre<\/h2>\n<p>Chinese opera has been performed on several kinds of stages, from simple tea houses to temporary stage structures put up in market places or country fairs, and to court theatres, to private chamber theatres, and from the beginning of the 20<sup>th<\/sup> century, most often in the western kind of large theatre houses.<\/p>\n<p>There exist good examples of old stages and theatre houses around China. Several small pavilion-like stages belonging to a temple or a private palace still exist, and imperial, three-storied stage structures with stage machinery can be seen in Beijing, both in the Forbidden City and at the Summer Palace. The most famous of the Qing-dynasty private tea-house theatres is at the 18<sup>th<\/sup> century residence of Prince Gong, in Beijing. The so-called <i>tanghui (t\u2019ang-hui)<\/i>\u00a0or performances at private parties, in spaces not designed for performances, have also been popular.<\/p>\n<p>A theatre space typical of the early phase of Peking Opera was the so-called <i>xiyuan (hsi-y\u00fcan)<\/i>\u00a0or \u201copera courtyard\u201d. There, a square stage was surrounded by the audience on three sides. The performances could last the whole day. Later, in a type of theatre called the \u201cold style theatre\u201d, the wooden stage floor was covered with a thick woollen carpet to make the acrobatic scenes safer for the performers. At the rear of the stage hung an embroidered curtain, which was the private property of the leading actor of the day. Seeing the curtain, audiences knew who was going to play the lead.<\/p>\n<p>During the heyday of Peking Opera, at the end of the 19<sup>th<\/sup> century and at the beginning of the 20<sup>th<\/sup> century, the opera activities were centred on the Qianmen Gate Tower area, in the old commercial centre of Peking. There were some ten theatre houses and hundreds of important Peking Opera artists lived and practised their art there.<\/p>\n<p>From the 1950s onward Chinese opera has increasingly been staged in huge theatre houses and cultural palaces constructed during the Communist regime. This has affected Chinese opera in many ways. Some performance practices have been altered, curtains are used between acts or even scenes, and modern lighting technologies are employed. The most disastrous effect created by the huge performance spaces, completely alien to the intimate scale of Chinese operas, is the use of microphones and amplifiers. It not only destroys original sounds and the balance of the operas, but also restricts some of the dance-like movements of the actors.<\/p>\n<h2>The Stage of Imagination<\/h2>\n<p>Peking Opera, like other traditional Chinese opera styles, employs non-naturalistic ways of conveying stories. The performances rely upon symbolic presentation, in which illusions are created by non-realistic acting rather than by illusionary stage sets. Chinese opera stage is an empty space, or a kind of a plastic space, which by means of acting technique and verbal hints can turn from a forest to a palace or from a poor hut to heavenly spheres.<\/p>\n<p>Traditionally, a raised platform which extends forward, with three sides facing the audience, has served as the opera stage. Behind the stage hangs a back curtain with two curtained doors leading backstage. The left door was used for the entr\u00e9es and the right door for the exits. When making their entrances the characters usually introduce themselves by hinting at some of their main characteristics, such as \u201cI am a selfish scholar called so and so\u201d or \u201cI am poor orphaned girl called so and so\u201d etc.<\/p>\n<p>After the introduction, the characters jump into the drama and into the imaginary world of its story. By their words or, more often, movements and gestures, they create the spatial surroundings required. For example, gestures of pushing and pulling indicate opening or closing a door or a window. A certain kind of movement of the body and legs indicates \u201cstepping over a threshold\u201d etc. Stage props are used very economically.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 14%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-3' class='gallery galleryid-64 gallery-columns-7 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi044.jpg'><img width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi044.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-3-1394\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-3-1394'>\n\t\t\t\tCertain set elements, such as mountains, clouds, waves etc. can be carried on the Peking opera stage. Here stage assistants are holding a movable set that shows a city gate. <span>Jukka O. Miettinen<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Sometimes necessary visual elements, such as stylised clouds, mountains or, for example, a city gate, painted on cloth or cardboard, are carried by the actors or stage assistants. Two pieces of cloth carried on both sides of an actor indicates that the person is travelling on a sedan chair, and waving flags informs the audience that there is a horrendous storm going on.<\/p>\n<p>Generally, however, all that is needed on a Peking Opera stage is a table and a couple of chairs. The space around them may be a courtroom, a study, a palace etc. This is indicated by the colours and patterns of the silken covers of the furniture. For example, if the silken chair covers and tablecloth have a dragon pattern, the scene is taking place in an imperial palace, but if the covers are greenish or blue with orchid patterns, the place is a scholar\u2019s study etc.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 14%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-4' class='gallery galleryid-64 gallery-columns-7 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi045.jpg'><img width=\"600\" height=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi045.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-4-1395\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-4-1395'>\n\t\t\t\tSusan, a tragic heroin, is questioned in a court room. <span>Jukka O. Miettinen<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The placement of the furniture can also have different meanings. If a chair is placed in front of a table, the audience knows that the scene is set in an ordinary home, but if it is behind the table, it indicates that it is question of an official or a ceremonial occasion, possibly in a palace or in a courtroom.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, in a traditional performance the whole illusion of the space and different places and surroundings mainly depends on the hints given by actors employing their various acting skills. However, in the big, modern theatre houses, stage sets, lighting technology etc. are now used. This process started in the international city of Shanghai, where the modern theatre houses and the use of setting appeared from 1908 onwards.<\/p>\n<h2>The Actor\u2019s Skills<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-5 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-5 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-5 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-5 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-5' class='gallery galleryid-64 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi046.jpg'><img width=\"480\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi046.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-5-1396\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-5-1396'>\n\t\t\t\tThe fighting scenes of Peking opera are constructed from well-rehearsed acrobatic units. <span>Jukka O. Miettinen<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi047.jpg'><img width=\"388\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi047.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-5-1397\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-5-1397'>\n\t\t\t\tTraining in acrobatics. <span>Jukka O. Miettinen<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>In traditional Chinese theatre the acting technique or, to be precise, \u201cactor\u2019s skills\u201d are called <i>xigong (hsi-kung)<\/i>. They refer to the acting tradition and methods formulated during the centuries. They are divided, for example, into the hand, the eye, the body, and the feet techniques, all of them related to physical expression, such as acting, mime, dancing, and acrobatics. Besides those skills, actors must also master very demanding singing and recitation skills.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 20%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-6' class='gallery galleryid-64 gallery-columns-5 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi048.jpg'><img width=\"396\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi048.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-6-1398\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-6-1398'>\n\t\t\t\tIt takes years to learn to handle the long water sleeves properly. <span>Jukka O. Miettinen<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi049.jpg'><img width=\"386\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi049.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-6-1399\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-6-1399'>\n\t\t\t\tIt takes years to learn to handle the long water sleeves properly. <span>Jukka O. Miettinen<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi050.jpg'><img width=\"397\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi050.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-6-1400\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-6-1400'>\n\t\t\t\tIt takes years to learn to handle the long water sleeves properly. <span>Jukka O. Miettinen<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>In addition to these main methods, the actor must have a command of several sub-techniques or \u201csupporting techniques\u201d. They include, for example, the skills related to the handling of certain parts of the costume, such as the long white silken extensions of the sleeves, the so-called \u201cwater sleeves\u201d\u00a0<i>shuixiu (shui-hsiu)<\/i>. Though it seems very easy and natural, handling them is actually very demanding, and students practise it for years. These silken strips extend the actual movement of the actor. They can also indicate several things, such as talking sides or presenting gifts, or they can simply express powerful emotions.<\/p>\n<p>Other supporting techniques are the fan skills, related to the handling of the fan, which can be used in many ways, for example as a symbol of many things, such as a wine cup, a butterfly etc. Further skills with a beard refer to the many ways in which an artificial beard can be manipulated. Anger, thoughtfulness, hesitation and many other moods can be expressed by the handling of the beard. Further supporting skills are related, for example, to the manipulating of the hair and the handkerchief.<\/p>\n<p>In the non-naturalistic, symbolic acting style of the Chinese theatre, many things can be told or illustrated by these supporting skills. A good example is the riding whip skills. Riding a horse is indicated by a riding whip the actor holds in his hand. The colour of the whip indicates the horse\u2019s colour, and the horse\u2019s movements, such as galloping, running for a long time, the horse\u2019s tiredness etc., are indicated by the movements of the whip combined with the actor\u2019s other body movements.<\/p>\n<p>Peking Opera professionals divide the acting skills into three realms. \u201cbeing accurate\u201d indicates a correct combination of the skills, while the second realm, \u201cbeing beautiful\u201d, focuses not only on the technical execution, but on the interpretation\u2019s aesthetic values and the accuracy of the portrayal of the character. The highest of the three realms, \u201chaving a lingering charm\u201d, is more difficult to put in words since the highest quality of artistic performance often seems to avoid exact definitions. For example, the singing of a certain star actor has been described as \u201cbeing gentle as weeping and lingering as a thread\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2>Theatre of Types<\/h2>\n<p>In the stylised and symbolic world of Chinese opera the roles represent abstractions of human attributes. Actors do not aim to create psychological portrayals of certain individuals. Instead, they rely on fixed personality types whose specific qualities are taken for granted by the audience. The way in which these qualities are then interpreted reveals the actor\u2019s skills and the level of the actor\u2019s artistry.<\/p>\n<div class=\"pl-video vimeo ratio43\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/239153535\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\"  frameborder=\"0\" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen wmode=\"transparent\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h5>The entry of emperor Xiang Yu (Hsiang Y\u00fc) in the opera <i>Farewell to my Concubine, Bawang bie ji (Pa-wang pieh chi)<\/i>. <strong>Veli Rosenberg<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>As has been seen in previous chapters, the role categories of Chinese theatre developed during a long period lasting, according to literary sources, over a thousand years. Starting from the Tang period onwards, different theatrical styles employed more and more role categories with their fixed characteristics, types of make-up and costuming.<\/p>\n<p>The Peking Opera inherited its four main role categories from <i>kunqu<\/i> and other earlier theatrical forms and yet enriched them, for example, by also adding among them martial role types with acrobatic skills. The four role categories are <i>sheng<\/i> or the male roles, <i>dan<\/i> or<i><\/i> the female roles, <i>jing<\/i> or the \u201cpainted face\u201d roles, and <i>chou,<\/i> the comic roles. Within these main categories there are further several subdivisions to define the type variations of the main character.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-7 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-7 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 14%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-7 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-7 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-7' class='gallery galleryid-64 gallery-columns-7 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi051.jpg'><img width=\"600\" height=\"366\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi051.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-7-1401\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-7-1401'>\n\t\t\t\tIn the Peking opera\u2019s dynamic fighting scenes the martial art techniques are employed in several ways. The costume of general has flags in its back. Sometimes a general can have also long pheasant plumes protruding from his headgear. Originally they were.\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The main sub-categories of the <i>sheng<\/i> or the male roles are <i>laosheng<\/i> or the middle-aged or old men, usually with beards, and the <i>xiaosheng<\/i> or young, handsome men, most often scholars. The old man type sings with a rather low, natural voice, while the young man blends in his singing both natural voice and falsetto, which indicates his youth. Furthermore, the male roles, as is the case in all other role types as well, are divided into civilian and martial types. The martial men, or the <i>wusheng,<\/i> usually wear a pompous costume imitating ancient armour. Some of the higher military officers have pheasant plumes in their headgear, sometimes even two metres long. Their expressive handling is a special skill of its own.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-8 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-8 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 14%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-8 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-8 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-8' class='gallery galleryid-64 gallery-columns-7 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi052.jpg'><img width=\"600\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi052.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-8-1402\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-8-1402'>\n\t\t\t\tA meeting of powerful generals. Among them there are also female warriors. Many of them are known in the Chinese history. <span>Jukka O. Miettinen<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Other special skills, characteristic of martial types, whether belonging to the male, female, comic or painted face categories, are the martial arts, acrobatics and virtuoso displays of skills related to weaponry. The martial actors practise these skills year after year so that they can master short acrobatic and fighting sequences from which longer scenes are then constructed. The climax of a military scene often takes the form of a breathtaking display featuring dynamic tumbling and somersaults while swords and spears fly in the air. These thrillingly fast scenes are accompanied by feverish percussion music.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly to the male roles, the <i>dan<\/i> or the female roles are also divided into the civilian and <i>wudan<\/i> or martial role types. Otherwise, the three major sub-categories of the <i>dan<\/i> roles are the <i>ginyi<\/i> or the gentle and often noble young lady, the <i>huadan<\/i> or vivacious, often coquettish woman, and the <i>laodan,<\/i> or old woman. All of them have their own acting and singing techniques.<\/p>\n<p>The noble young woman, the <i>ginyi,<\/i> or the so-called \u201cblue-robed woman\u201d (she often wears a black robe with blue borders) sings in a high falsetto. This singing technique is due the fact that until the 1920s only male actors were allowed to perform on the Peking Opera stage and thus actresses must use the falsetto technique of female impersonators of older times. The <i>ginyi<\/i> actresses concentrate on singing, graceful dance-like movements and masterful handling of the water sleeves.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of singing, the <i>huadan<\/i> or vivacious female type concentrates on mime acting. These lively characters usually belong to the class of ordinary people. The <i>laodan<\/i> or old woman type is characterised by its natural voice range and body language which indicates old age.<\/p>\n<p>Both the old man and old woman types wear barely any make-up, only some lines around the eyes and the mouth. The young woman role types paint their faces first with matte white. Then deep red is added around the eyes, the nose and on the sides of the face. The deep red is graded with the white of the cheeks and the nose. This pinkish make-up, shaded with deep red and highlighted with white, indicates beauty and the glow of youth. The make-up of the youthful male character is also approximately similar.<\/p>\n<p>The most spectacular types of make-up belong, as the name \u201cpained face\u201d already indicates, to the <i>jing<\/i> characters. In China the types of facial make-up have a history of at least over a thousand years. The early types of make-up were simple; the face was painted red, black etc. Over the centuries the make-up became more complex and reached its culmination in the hundreds of intriguing make-up designs of the Peking Opera\u2019s <i>jing<\/i> characters.<\/p>\n<p>According to these \u201cface maps\u201d, all recorded in special pictorial manuals, the audience immediately gets information about the inner qualities of the characters portrayed. A red face, for example, indicates loyalty and uprightness, a black face a forthcoming character, a blue face pride and bravery while a white face indicates cunning and treachery. The most surprising of these types of make-up are those in which all the traces of the anatomy of the human face are faded away by a completely abstract facial painting reminiscent of a colourful tornado or of some kind of cosmic explosion.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, as the other role types, the <i>jing<\/i> characters are also divided into martial and civilian characters. The <i>wu jing<\/i> characters concentrate on the martial arts while the <i>wenjing<\/i> concentrate on singing. Their voice range is natural, approximately equivalent to a western baritone voice. In the early period of the Peking Opera it was the <i>jing<\/i> actors who were the leading stars of this art form. Heroic generals, patriotic heroes, legendary rebels, gods and other mythological characters are included in this role category. They often wear thick-soled shoes, which add as much as 20 cm to the actors\u2019 height, creating the impression of larger-than-life personalities.<\/p>\n<p>The fourth basic role category of the Peking Opera is the comic <i>chou<\/i> characters. The military clowns, <i>wuchou,<\/i> are trained in acrobatic and martial arts while the civilian clowns or the <i>wenchou<\/i> concentrate on mime. The white patch surrounding their noses and eyes makes the <i>chou<\/i> characters easy to recognise. The <i>chou<\/i> category is regarded as the oldest of the character types and has its origin in the <i>adjutant play<\/i> of the Tang dynasty. They include all kinds of personalities, such as farmers, traders, playboys, high-ranking officials and sometimes even emperors. They can be either good or bad characters. They do not often sing; instead, they use pure colloquial language so that their jokes are easy to understand.<\/p>\n<p>As mentioned, within these four basic role types, there are further several subdivisions to define <a href=\"http:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/role-types-of-the-peking-opera\/\">the type variations of the main characters<\/a>. The costuming of all the character types is based on Ming-period prototypes. In the same way as their facial make-up, their costumes also give the audience information about the personality, profession and social status of the characters. In the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing, there is a Qing-dynasty manual which lists the costumes of the characters in some one thousand Peking Operas.<\/p>\n<h2>The Social Status of the Actors<\/h2>\n<p>As in many other cultures in older times, the social status of actors in China was very low, too. Whether they belonged to the private troupes of educated men, traders or officials or to the wandering troupes, the actors were regarded merely as prostitutes. Their social status is reflected in the fact that for a long time the actors were excluded from the official examinations. It was generally accepted that the actors did not choose their profession, but were forced to do so because of poverty or, for example, because the head of the family has received a criminal sentence.<\/p>\n<p>There were periods when famous actresses who were courtesans were widely admired and some high-class admirers even married them. However, these kinds of marriages were not common, because of the actor\u2019s reputation of having low morals. Mixed companies, with both men and women, were popular in the 13<sup>th<\/sup> and 14<sup>th<\/sup> centuries, but after that they were, due the strict moral codes of Neo-Confucianism, banned.<\/p>\n<p>During the Ming dynasty the tendency was already towards companies with performers of one sex only. The later world of the Peking Opera was completely a male domain. Until the 1920\u2019s the actors, the playwrights and the musicians were all male, and so was the audience. As all the actors were men, they also performed the female roles. Boys and men excelling at impersonating female roles were a constant headache for officials, since attractive actors were popular sex objects among the homo- or bisexual male audience. Thus, many actors were obliged to serve high-ranking admirers with their sexual favours.<\/p>\n<p>There were also, of course, personalities among actors who were admired by all levels of society purely because of their artistry and innovations. The beginning of the Peking Opera was the golden age of <i>jing<\/i> actors, who often played the roles of elderly statesmen, emperors, rebels and ministers. For decades they overshadowed the <i>dan<\/i> or the female impersonators. One of the brightest stars of the Peking Opera stage was <a href=\"http:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/mei-lanfang\/\">Mei Lanfang<\/a> (1894\u20131961). He not only brought the <i>dan<\/i> roles into focus again, but in many ways he influenced the Peking Opera\u2019s development in the Republic of China and even during the early periods of the People\u2019s Republic.<\/p>\n<h2>Mei Lanfang, a Legendary Female Impersonator and an Innovator<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-9 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-9 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 16%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-9 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-9 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-9' class='gallery galleryid-64 gallery-columns-6 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi053.jpg'><img width=\"404\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/chi053.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-9-1403\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-9-1403'>\n\t\t\t\tA portrait of Mei Lanfang, the most well-known Peking opera actor of the 20th century. <span>Mei Lanfang Museum, Beijing<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Mei Lanfang is without doubt the most celebrated Peking Opera actor, both at home and abroad. He was born in Peking into a famous <i>dan,<\/i> or female impersonator, family in 1894. He began learning acting at the age of eight and made his stage debut at the age of ten. He created a sensation in Shanghai, where he worked for a longer period absorbing the new trends of the international city\u2019s theatrical life.<\/p>\n<p>He was a specialist of the noble female type, but was able to expand his acting to some other female types as well. He admired the old <i>kunqu<\/i>\u00a0and was instrumental in its revival. However, he also created completely new dances, which are still popular today. He also created \u201cmodern\u201d operas with stage sets, contemporaneous costuming etc. He was the head of the first Peking Opera troupe ever to perform abroad. In 1919 he performed in Japan and in 1929 in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>His performances, especially those in the Soviet Union in 1935, had far-reaching consequences, since among the full houses there were several important pioneers of modern theatre, such as Konstantin Stanislavski, Bertolt Brecht, and Gordon Craig. Brecht found many elements in Mei Lanfang\u2019s art which inspired his theories of the Epic Theatre.<\/p>\n<p>During the early period of the People\u2019s Republic Mei Lanfang was instrumental in deciding the fate of the traditional Chinese theatre. As a celebrated artist and an influential, cultural and political personality he was able to persuade Chairman Mao of Peking Opera\u2019s value as the creation of the people of China, while at the same time the Communist party was banning all art forms related to religion and the imperial past. It is very much due to Mei Lanfang that the tradition of Chinese theatre continued through the middle part of the 20<sup>th<\/sup> century.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/a-concise-history-of-theatre-in-imperial-china\/\">Related article by Stefan Kuzay: A Concise History of Theatre in Imperial China<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Creation of the Qing Dynasty (1644\u20131911) During the Qing dynasty (1644\u20131911) China was again ruled by foreigners, this time by the Manchus. They, however, greatly appreciated many aspects of Chinese culture and thus the Qing dynasty was, in fact, a fruitful period for the arts. The beginning of the dynasty was overshadowed by riots [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2499,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[40],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3509,"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64\/revisions\/3509"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}