1. A Brief Summary of the History of Chinese Opera
Kuo,
Spring, 2013

2. The Historical Origins of Chinese Opera
Beijing Opera is one of China‘s most recent theatrical forms, which draws from a tradition.
It was presented in a more organized form began in the Tang Dynasty with Emperor Xuanzong (A.D.712–755), who founded the "Pear Garden" (梨园), the first known opera troupe in China. The troupe mostly performed for the emperors' personal pleasure.
To this day operatic professionals are still referred to as "Disciples of the Pear Garden" (梨园弟子).

3. The worship ceremony during Chinese new year
Many professional performing groups in Taiwan still worship Emperor Tang Xuanzong as the god of theatre.

4. The Southern play
During 12th century, Chinese opera Started to flourish and was referred as the “Southern Play.”
It was performed and well received in the huge public theaters of Hangzhou(杭州), then capital of the Southern Song dynasty (A.D ).
Its dialogue, written in rhymed verse, was either sung or spoken, but the play scripts have no internal divisions, such as acts or scenes.
An offstage chorus which accompanied the major arias, evidently along with the audience.

5. The Development of Zaju(雜劇) in Yuan Dynasty
Beginning in the 13th century, the Mongolian conquerors patronized a northern form of opera called Zaju, which is a "multi-act" play usually divided into four acts.
In contrast to southern plays, Zaju typically featured three major roles: a woman (dan 旦), an older, usually venerable man (mo 末), and a young man (sheng 生). “Comics” (chou 丑) also played a role, providing ironic commentary on the events taking place.

6. The Development of Zaju(雜劇) in Yuan Dynasty
A great play writer Guan Hanqin(關漢卿) had contributed to the blooming of Zaju by creating several masterpieces.
He is often referred as the Shakespeare of China.
Some of today’s Beijing opera are based on his most popular plays.

7. The Development of Kunqu (崑曲)
During the 16th century (Ming Dynasty), China enjoyed a period of relative peace and economic prosperity.
General literacy was growing, reaching sectors of society, particularly urban merchants and women.
This was also a time of the proliferation of the vernacular novel and the most elegant form of Chinese opera, ­Kunqu (崑曲), which originated in Kunshan near Suzhou, Jiangsu.

8. The Development of Kunqu (崑曲)
After Wei Liangfu‘s (魏良輔, ) innovations,
Wei and other musicians increased the range of accompanying instruments by introducing wind pipes, strings, and percussion instruments, including drums, clappers, gongs, and cymbals for percussion instruments, flutes, Hsiao-flutes, reed pipes, and Suo-na(嗩吶) trumpets for wind instruments, and violins, three-strings, dulcimers, and zithers for string instruments.
Kunqu rose to the status of national opera in the 17th and 18th centuries, even in Beijing, then ruled by foreign rulers from Manchuria.

9. The Popularity and Bloom of Kunqu in China
After such innovations, Kunqu became sophisticated with their subtlety of expression.
Thereafter, many scholars engaged in the effort of writing plays for Kun Drama, and the number of family theater groups and professional theater groups employing Kunqu increased rapidly.
The contributions of scholars and performers to the promotion of Kun Drama led to the popularity of Kun Drama throughout different regions in China as one of the most important kinds of drama in the history of Chinese drama.

10. The Popularity and Bloom of Kunqu in China
Its scripts, music, performance art, and stage design all attained an outstanding level of accomplishment.
The dominant form of the Ming and early Qing dynasties was Kunqu, which originated in the Wu cultural area. It later evolved into a longer form of play called chuanqi, which became one of the 5 melodies that made up Sichuan opera.[3]).
Most local dramatic forms, including the Peking Opera, have come under the influence of Kun Drama.

11. The Ebbing and Demise of Kunqu
By the end of 18th, when local dramatic forms became popular, and Qunqu gradually lost its appeal.
The main reason was because its lyrics were too difficult to understand by the common people, especially when compared with the lyrics of local dramas which were simple and easily understood. In general, the plot of local dramas was closer to the life of the common people. Moreover, the music and the performance of Kunqu tended to be gentle and subtle, in contrast to the broad style and hustle-bustle of local dramas.

12. The Ebbing and Demise of Kunqu
During this down turn, only about 50 performers in China continued their effort to ensure the continuity of Kunqu.
But In 1955 and 1956, when the “National Su-Kun Drama Group” presented the play, Fifteen Strings of Coins, which earned acclaim among the leading class of Chinese Communists.
This prompted the emergence of local Kun Drama groups. Presently, there are seven performance groups.
In 2001, Kunqu opera was inscribed in UNESCO's list of "oral masterpiece and intangible heritage of humanity".
This recognition rejuvenated Kun drama in China as well as in Taiwan.

13. Masterpieces of Kunqu 1.The Peony Pavilion (牡丹亭)
A young woman had a passionate dream about a mysterious stranger and she began to develop a deep longing for this handsome lover, and passed away for love sick. But she revived and joined the young man as his wife.
The Peony Pavilion. Written during the Ming dynasty by Tang Xianzu and considered a Chinese national treasure, It focuses on love, beauty, relationship, and marriage.
 Although widely accepted by modern audiences, this moving, love-conquers-all story was very controversial when originally published, because of its views on women, sex, and marriage.
At a time when women were submissive, the chief protagonist Du Liniang (杜麗娘) is a strong woman who actively pursues the man she loves.

14. Masterpieces of Kuoqu The Peony Pavilion (牡丹亭)
During a time when arranged marriages had been the norm for thousands of years, this story then concludes with a marriage that is forged by love rather than family arrangement.    
The writer Tang Xianzu lived during the same time as William Shakespeare, and given the strong theme of love, Therefore, Tang's The Peony Pavilion is often compared to Romeo and Juliet.

15. The most popular episodes of The Peony Pavilion (牡丹亭)
Episode: A Stroll in the garden (遊園)
Awakened by warblers in the morning, Du Liniang is dazzled by the signs of spring.? She suddenly realizes she has promised to explore the garden with Chunxiang, who comes to assist her with getting dressed. Pleased with herself in the mirror, she declares that for all her elegant accessories, she likes being natural best. At first, the two girls flit here and there in the garden like birds out of a cage, marveling at its sights and sounds. Soon, however, Du Liniang falls into deep thoughts as Chunxiang attempts to draw her out.
Video Show

16. The most popular episodes of The Peony Pavilion (牡丹亭)
Episode: Interrupted Dream (驚夢)
Back in her room, Du Liniang sighs that,
at sixteen, she is wasting yet another
spring with no one who truly appreciates
her. The Flower God enters, escorting a
dream lover for her.
Du Liniang and the man, holding a willow
branch signifying spring, back into each
other. And they consummate their love in
the Peony Pavilion as flower fairies arrive
to provide them cover.

17. Masterpieces of Kuoqu The Romance of Jade Hairpin(玉簪記)
"The Jade Hairpin" is a work of Ming dynasty playwright Gao Lian in the ( ). It is a love story, with a happy ending, of Pan Bizheng, a young scholar, and Chen Miaochang, a Taoist nun.
Story of the "The Jade Hairpin"
Pan was a promising young man who failed the official exam because of illness. Ashamed of the failure, Pan did not return home. He went to stay with his aunt, the mother superior of a convent. There he came across Chen, a young, pretty, talented Taoist nun. During the war, Chen lost her families and she had to seek shelter in the convent and thus became a nun.

18. Masterpieces of Kuoqu The Romance of Jade Hairpin(玉簪記)
Since Chen became a nun out of convenience, rather than devotion, she still held worldly passions and yearning for life and worldly love. Naturally, she couldn't resist Pan's courtship and fell in love with him.
The two had some happy days before Pan's aunt found it out their affair. Such a love affair could only bring disgrace on the convent. The mother superior had to stop it.
She sent Pan on his way to another official exam while keeping Chen in the convent. Chen ran away from the convent to chase after Pan, they had a short reunion and then, she had to return and wait for Pan in the convent.
Pan did not disappoint her. He passed the exam with honors and came back to marry Chen.

19. Most Popular Episodes from The Romance of Jade Hairpin(玉簪記)
1.Qin Tiao (Flirting with a Zither) 琴挑
One night Pan could not sleep and
went for a walk. He ran into Chen,
who was playing the zither. Chen
had heard that Pan was good at music.
She asked Pan to play a song for her. He did. He expressed his feelings in the song and attempted to talk her out of the religious life. Chen was touched but refrained from revealing her emotions.
Video Show

20. Masterpieces of Kuoqu The Palace of Eternity(長生殿)
The story of "The Palace of Eternity" is about the love story of the Emperor of the Tang dynasty and his favorite consort Lady Yang has been a popular subject of plays and poems.
This play is based on a very popular poem “The everlasting Sorrow” written by one of the greatest poet Bai Juyi in Tang Dynasty. (Show the English version of the poem )
According to the historical recorded, the Emperor started his reign as a dedicated ruler, and the Tang Empire enjoyed peace and prosperity for a while.
However, in his later years, the emperor turned out to be better known for his infatuation with his beautiful concubine
Lady Yang.

21. The Birth of Beijing (Peking) Opera
Beijing opera was born when the "Four Great Anhui Troupes" came to Beijing in 1790.It was originally staged for the court and came into the public later. Although it is called Beijing opera (Beijing theatre style), its origins are in the southern Anhui and eastern Hubei, which share the same dialect of Xiajiang Mandarin (Lower Yangtze Mandarin).
Beginning in 1884, the Empress Dowager Cixi (慈禧太后)became a regular patron of Beijing opera, cementing its status over earlier forms like Kunqu. The popularity of Beijing opera has been attributed to the simplicity of the form, with only a few voices and singing patterns. This allowed anyone to sing the arias themselves.

22. The Development of Beijing Opera
Beijing opera features acting, singing, and sumptuous costumes. But it also offers dance, mime, face painting, and acrobatics.
The melodies that accompany each play were drawn from Kunqu and other local operas. However, the accompany instruments for singing changed from flute to
Jinghu (京胡) and other string instruments.
There are over 1200 stories used in Beijing
opera, mostly drawn from historical legend
and mythology.

23. The Characters of Beijing Opera
Each character in a Beijing opera is based on a standard role type, which is recognized at a glance by costume, makeup, and demeanor.
This lets the audience know much about a character from the moment the actor comes onstage.

24. The Performers of Peking Opera
Peking opera was initially an exclusively male pursuit. The Qianlong Emperor had banned all female performers in Beijing in 1772.
The appearance of women on the stage began unofficially during the 1870s.
Female performers began to impersonate male roles and declared equality with men. They were given a venue for their talents when Li Maoer, himself a former Peking opera performer, founded the first female Beijing opera troupe in Shanghai. By 1894, the first commercial venue showcasing female performance troupes appeared in Shanghai. This encouraged other female troupes to form, which gradually increased in popularity.

25. The Actors of Beijing Opera
The actors. An actor in Chinese opera is trained especially for one role type and will generally stick to it throughout his or her career. The choice is based on body type and abilities rather than age. For instance, a young male actor might always portray older men.
Until modern times, it was illegal in China for males and females to perform together. So, just as in Shakespeare’s England, female roles were performed by men, who imitated female movements and sang falsetto. Today female roles are almost always played by females, but actresses still copy the voice and movement styles of their male predecessors.
Because of the many skills and the physical agility needed by opera actors, training must begin in childhood. Special schools in China offer this training along with general education.

26. Masters of Peking Opera— Tan Hin Pei (譚鑫培)
Tan Xinpei ( ) was a native
of Jiangxia (now Wuchang), Hubei.
 In his earlier career, under the stage
name Xiao Jiaotian(小叫天),
Tan specialized in both heroic
and comic male martial roles.
As he entered middle age, he began
to play the older, bearded male
characters known as "lao sheng“

27. Masters of Peking Opera— Tan Hin Pei (譚鑫培)
Then he formed his own company
to implement and popularize a
new performing style.
His style, became known as the
"Tan School," soon became dominant
in Beijing opera in the latter 19th century.
His style combined singing, speaking,
acting and fighting in each individual
performer, rather having each of these
skills performed by individual specialists.

28. Masters of Peking Opera— Tan Hin Pei (譚鑫培)
When films were introduced into China at the end
of the 19th century, in 1905 the Chinese shot t
heir first film, The Battle of Dingjunshan.
It was adapted from a Peking Opera and
Tan Xinpei, was the first actor in the first
Chinese film.
The producer of the film had studied
photography in Japan. He bought a manual
camera and 14 sets of films from a German
merchant for the film.
Though it was very coarse, the film marked the beginning
of the China film history. It is a precious material for the
study of China film and Peking Opera.
Show video: The Battle of Dingjunshan

29. Masters of Peking Opera-- Mei Lanfang
Mei Lanfang ( ) was one of
the most famous Beijing (Peking) opera
artists in modern history, exclusively
known for his qingyi roles.
He made his stage debut at the in
1904 when he was 10 years old.
In his 50-year stage career, he maintained strong continuity while always working on new techniques

30. Masters of Peking Opera-- Mei Lanfang
His most famous roles were those of female characters; skillful portrayal of women won him international acclaim, and his smooth, perfectly timed, poised style has come to be known in opera circles as the “Méi School.”

31. Masters of Peking Opera-- Mei Lanfang
Méi was the first artist to spread Beijing Opera to foreign countries, participating in cultural exchanges with Japan, the United States, and other regions.
He was known to have toured the world, forming friendships with the western contemporaries of his day, including Charlie Chaplin.
During his visit to Hollywood, he was also welcomed by Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford.
(Show video The Mei documentary)

32. Masters of Peking Opera
Mei Lanfang, Shang Xiaoyun (尚小云), Cheng Yanqiu (程砚秋) and Xun Huisheng (荀慧生) were known as Four Great Dan in the golden era of Peking Opera.

33. Masters of Peking Opera
Shang Xiaoyun (尚小云)
He started a school of Beijing opera
Performing arts, and had great
contribution.

34. Masters of Peking Opera
Cheng Yanqiu (程砚秋)
He started a new singing style, known
as Cheng school, and is still very popular
Today.

35. Masters of Peking Opera
Xun Huisheng (荀慧生)
He also started his own style,
And is good at Hua Dan.