Q70: Knowledge of Chinese Opera

Author: Jiang Xin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-06-01
Features: Chinese opera spans every province and city in the country, involving every ethnic group, with over a hundred genres. There are tens of thousands of plays. Its history can be traced back to the Nuo dance and You Meng's costume from the Spring and Autumn Period. It includes historical legends from each dynasty, from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to today's socialist construction. From Chang'e in the moon to Shakespeare's Othello; from the sorrowful imperial concubine to the village girl herding cattle in the fields. The audience ranges from the Empress Dowager Cixi to waiters and tricycle riders. From Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty to foreigners of all skin colors from the five continents. The scale, history, variety, quantity, influence, and level of Chinese opera can all be called a modern and ancient marvel of performing arts. Therefore, this introduction is merely a drop in the vast ocean of Chinese opera. It is often said that there is no worthy monograph on Chinese opera in China, so many people are eager to try. The result is always "overwhelmed by the vastness of the ocean." In my opinion, there are many monographs on Chinese opera, but they are not written in intimidating language and have not been approved by those theorists. These monographs are not only thorough in reasoning but also have high practical value and guiding significance.