Transcript Beijing Opera Powerpoint

A History Of
Chinese
Theater
Everything you need to know
about Chinese Drama &
Peking Opera
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Chinese Drama
Chinese drama has traditionally been linked to the government
and the countries political situation. Translated Western
dramas of the early 20th Century were brought to China from
Europe and the USA. (Ex. Uncle Tom's Cabin) When the
Japanese invaded China in 1937, playwrights wrote new plays
which included more patriotism.
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Chinese Drama
Drama in China dates to AD 200, beginning with
rituals that combined song, dance, gestures, and
costumes. When
theatre captured the
interest of the ruling
dynasties, drama
based on traditional
Chinese myths and
legends became an
important art form.
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Chinese Drama
With the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949 came
more government involvement in the arts (censoring started to
occur). At the end of the cultural revolution in 1972, the
regulation of theatre ended with a strong dramatic tradition
emerging
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Peking Opera
This developed early in
the 19th Century. It
incorporates aspects of
historical drama, spoken
drama, song drama,
dance drama, and ballet the 5 main types of drama
in China today.
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Peking Opera
Despite the history of governmental regulations, many
traditional aspects have remained intact in Chinese Drama.
The stage
settings are scarce and
symbolic; for example, a
desk might symbolize an
alter if an actor kneels.
Costumes are often stylized,
representing traditional
characters and social classes
in Chinese history. Symbolic
colors and designs that
represent different human
qualities are used in make up.
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Peking Opera
The main color used in a facial makeup symbolizes the
disposition of the character.
Yellow signifies fierceness, ambition and coolheadedness.
Red indicates devotion, courage bravery,
uprightness and loyalty.
A green face tells the audience that the
character is impulsive, violent, and stubborn.
He also shows total lack of self-restraint.
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Black symbolizes roughness and fierceness. It
indicates a rough and bold character or an impartial
and selfless personality.
Blue represents staunchness, fierceness and
astuteness.
Purple stands for uprightness, sophistication and coolheadedness). The reddish purple face likewise shows a
just and noble character
White suggests something sinister, treacherous,
suspicious and crafty.
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There are 4 Roles in Peking Opera:
Sheng - the main male role in the production. There are
numerous subtypes (ex. wusheng - a martial character)
Dan - Any female role in the production. There are 5 subtypes
in this group
Jing - A painted face male role. They are a forceful character
(so they must have a strong voice and a lot of exaggerated
facial expressions)
Chou - A male clown role. They usually play a minor role. They
wear special face paint that is different than the Jing characters
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