Old opera prints

Author: Zhang Daoyi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-01-01
Features: This is a book about cultural retrospect, primarily featuring images with necessary explanations. The subject of the review is opera and New Year pictures, specifically New Year pictures depicting opera themes. It is also part of a series, all of which are prefixed with "Old," such as Old Shanghai Advertising, Old Monthly Bills, Old Cigarette Cards, etc. The prefix "Old" highlights its historical era and context, essentially referring to past relics. Chinese opera and New Year pictures are two intertwined art forms. Their combination is not only a culturally unique phenomenon but also widespread, reflecting the popular tastes of the masses and demonstrating how art can complement one another. As the saying goes, "Theater is life's grand stage," but Chinese opera encompasses even broader themes. Converting opera into a visual art form and displaying it allows people to "watch" the play year-round—it can be considered a cultural creation of China's working class.