Archive for category Folk Music&Dance
Sichuan Opera
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Folk Music&Dance on April 8, 2011
Sichuan opera, also called Chuanju in Chinese, is a type of opera originating in Sichuan Province of China. It was listed as the state-level immaterial cultural heritage in 2006.
Sichuan opera has a history of about 1700 years which can date back to the Ming Dynasty (1368~1644).
The opera sounds beautiful and is composed of five tunes, namely Gaoqiang, Huqin, Kunqiang, Dengxi and Tanxi. Among them, Gaoqiang is the main performing style as it has abundant tune and euphonious aria.
The performing art of Sichuan opera has profound cultural foundation which forms a systematic and perfect performing process. Read the rest of this entry »
Huangmei Opera
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Folk Music&Dance on November 14, 2010
Huangmei Opera，also called Huangmei Tune or Tea-Picking Opera, is one of the top five operas in China.
Its history can date back to the 18th century when Chinese local operas were flourishing. It originated in the provinces of Anhui, Hubei and Jiangxi but soon earned its popularity all over the country. Like other traditional local operas, Huangmei Opera was sung in the local dialect. However, unlike most of the local operas that are sung in hard-to-understand dialects, it is very easy to follow.
It is said that originally people sang it while they are picking tea. Therefore, it was called Tea-Picking Opera at the very beginning. The lyrics are popular, colloquial, and easy to follow. That’s why it developed into a perfect combination of songs and dances with costumes and additional roles later on. Read the rest of this entry »
Yueju Opera
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Folk Music&Dance on November 4, 2010
Yueju Opera, also called Shaoxing Opera, is one of the four principal operas in China. As a traditional Chinese performing art, Yueju opera is a good combination of abstraction and realism. Its repertory is mainly based on Chinese folklore, classical literature and history events. Till now, it is still very popular in many southern provinces, such as Zhenjiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Fujian, etc.
It originated around Shengxian County (belongs to Zhejiang Province nowadays) about 100 years ago. As the county belonged to the Yue State in ancient times, the opera was given the name of Yueju Opera). Initially, it was only performed by men. Later, in 1923, women performers began to appear and gained recognition gradually. For a period of time, they even took all the places of men on the stage, which meant all the roles were played by women (even male roles). However, after 1949, men and women performed together. Read the rest of this entry »
Roles in Peking Opera
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Folk Music&Dance on August 12, 2010
Peking Opera is a comprehensive art form which combines music, singing, speaking, pantomime, acrobatics and martial arts. Regarded as the quintessence of China, it has been one of the cultural treasures in China since ancient times. According to the sex, age, social status, and profession, the roles in the opera are classified into four main types: Sheng, Dan, Jing, and Chou.
Sheng is the main male role in Peking Opera and is composed of Lao Sheng, Xiao Sheng and Wu Sheng. Among them, Lao Sheng, refers to the bearded middle-aged man with a mature character. Xiao Sheng represents a young man without a beard, usually a young scholar or lover role. Wu Sheng is a martial character that appears in battle scenes.
Dan is the female role in Peking Opera and consists of Zheng Dan, Hua Dan, Lao Dan, and Wu Dan. Zheng Dan, also called ‘Qingyi’, refers to the young lady of good quality and character, usually noblewoman. Hua Dan refers to the little girls. Lao Dan refers to the senior woman and Wu Dan is the female with martial skills, equivalent to the Wu Sheng.
Jing, also called “painted face”, is a male role. His voice is loud and clear, and the movements are exaggerated. The different colors on the faces represent different characteristics.
Red face – Loyalty and justice
Black face – Honest and brave
White face – Crafty
Yellow face – Brutal
Blue face – Bold and powerful
Chou, also called “small painted face”, is a male clown role. The role’s eyes and nose are covered with a white patch. And the Chou usually plays secondary role in Peking Opera.
The history of the four main role type can date back to the period of Tang Dynasty (618~907). They four formed their own characteristics during the period of Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368). Later, these four roles reached their maturity in Qing Dynasty (1636~1911).
Peking Opera
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Folk Music&Dance on July 4, 2010
Peking Opera is also known as the national opera of China. Regarded as the most influential and representative of all operas in China, it has a history of more than 200 years.
However, it did not origin in Beijing but in the provinces of Anhui and Hubei. It appeared after the 4 most famous opera troupes paid their visit to Beijing. It adopted the best from each style and finally formed its own styles. During the Qing Dynasty, it became very prosperous and was regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China.
It is a comprehensive art form and it combines music, singing, speaking, pantomime, acrobatics and martial arts. It is said that a student have to take more than 10 years of training before he becomes a qualified performer. Nowadays, the major performance troupes are based in Beijing and Tianjin in the north, and Shanghai in the south.
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