Welcome to Peking Opera
WELCOME TO PEKING OPERA
Min Doh
I organized basic facts and simple information mainly related to my presentation, however the actual contents might be different because I did not want to add any spoiler. :-)
Brief Introduction & History
Peking opera of China is a national treasure with a history of 200 years. Through a period of more than half a century of combination and integration of various kinds of opera there evolved the present Peking opera, the biggest kind of opera in China, whose richness of repertoire, great number of artists of performance and of audiences, and profound influence are incomparable in China.
Peking Opera was founded in 1790, when the Four Great Anhui Troupes went to Beijing to perform for the Imperial Court, and the 55th year of the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. It simplified its form as well-known opera troupes from Hubei joined the Anhui performers, melding their regional styles. After 1949, a study revealed that over 80 percent of musical dramas staged in the country were traditional plays from the pre-Communist era, as opposed to newly written historical dramas promoting socialist values.
Characters
*4 Main Roles in Peking Opera Performance
Sheng: It's a common name of male characters and composed of Lao Sheng and Xiao Sheng. Lao Sheng refers to the middle-aged man with a beard who acts as the decency figure; for example, Zhugeliang in 'Empty City Scheme'. Xiao Sheng means young man without a beard.
Dan: The general name for female characters can be divided into Zhengdan, Huadan, Laodan, Wudan. Zhengdan is also called 'Qingyi', who mainly plays the part of the strong-minded middle-aged woman who behaves elegantly. Huadan refers to little girls who often live in the bottom of society. Laodan refers to the senior woman and Wudan indicates the female who is good at fighting.
Jing: Painted face often refers to male characters with unique appearance or personality, such as Baozheng and Caocao.
Min Doh
I organized basic facts and simple information mainly related to my presentation, however the actual contents might be different because I did not want to add any spoiler. :-)
Brief Introduction & History
Peking opera of China is a national treasure with a history of 200 years. Through a period of more than half a century of combination and integration of various kinds of opera there evolved the present Peking opera, the biggest kind of opera in China, whose richness of repertoire, great number of artists of performance and of audiences, and profound influence are incomparable in China.
Peking Opera was founded in 1790, when the Four Great Anhui Troupes went to Beijing to perform for the Imperial Court, and the 55th year of the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. It simplified its form as well-known opera troupes from Hubei joined the Anhui performers, melding their regional styles. After 1949, a study revealed that over 80 percent of musical dramas staged in the country were traditional plays from the pre-Communist era, as opposed to newly written historical dramas promoting socialist values.
Characters
*4 Main Roles in Peking Opera Performance
Sheng: It's a common name of male characters and composed of Lao Sheng and Xiao Sheng. Lao Sheng refers to the middle-aged man with a beard who acts as the decency figure; for example, Zhugeliang in 'Empty City Scheme'. Xiao Sheng means young man without a beard.
Dan: The general name for female characters can be divided into Zhengdan, Huadan, Laodan, Wudan. Zhengdan is also called 'Qingyi', who mainly plays the part of the strong-minded middle-aged woman who behaves elegantly. Huadan refers to little girls who often live in the bottom of society. Laodan refers to the senior woman and Wudan indicates the female who is good at fighting.
Jing: Painted face often refers to male characters with unique appearance or personality, such as Baozheng and Caocao.