Theater, Film and Television Arts

Author: Liu Ye
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: 7. The language is simple and, mostly colloquial, and skillfully uses local dialects. As the saying goes, "Each village has its own customs, each river has its own songs, and each bend has its own tunes." "Different regions have different people, and the local customs are still the most appealing." Opera is created by the people, and its language adopts the spoken language of the masses. At the same time, it possesses a high degree of generality and expressiveness. China is vast, with different languages from south to north. Therefore, singing in local dialects can express the emotions of the people in that region and align with their aesthetic tastes. The local audience calls it "words that are familiar, flavors that are familiar, and hearts that are close." This accurately reflects the people's love for local opera. In the Northeast Duet Opera, there is a play titled "Yang Ba Jie's Spring Outing." In the play, King Song falls in love with Yang Ba Jie from the Tianbo Yang Mansion and asks Bao Gong to propose to her. Grandmother She Taijun does not want her daughter to enter the palace, but she cannot refuse directly. So, she devises a plan and, in front of Bao Gong, asks for a betrothal gift according to local customs, as the custom allows refusal if the betrothal gift is unsatisfactory: "I want one pound of stars and two pounds of the moon, three pounds of the green wind and four pounds of clouds. Five pounds of fire sparks and six pounds of air, seven pounds of soot and eight pounds of music. Three pounds and six ounces of dragon's beard, and eight eggs woven from silk. Eight-pointed eggs, nine roots of cow hair, two dou of dried snow, and five catties of ice chips burned into charcoal." This aria contains many Northeastern dialects, reflecting the customs and habits of the region. It sounds very. The clear and straightforward lyrics vividly portray Grandmother She Taijun's character and integrity. For example, in the Huangmei Opera "Picking Pig Grass," there is a strong sense of rural life in the south and a rich comedic tone. At the end of the play, there is a very humorous and witty duet in the style of folk songs, which is fresh, natural, and thought-provoking:
Tao Jinhua (singing): "The boy matches the flower, the girl matches the flower, matching flowers by the field embankment. A seed is dropped, Jin Xiaomao (singing): A sprout grows."
Tao Jinhua (singing): "What kind of stem, what kind of leaf?" Jin Xiaomao (singing): "What kind of flower does it bloom?" Tao Jinhua (singing): "What kind of seeds does it bear?" Tao Jinhua (singing): "What kind of powder does it grind?" Tao Jinhua (singing): "What kind of hoe does it make?" Chorus (singing): "This flower is called—" (Ah, ah, de-er-wei, de-er-wei, de-er-wei, de-shang-wei) "What kind of flower is it?" Tao Jinhua (singing): "The boy matches the flower, the girl matches the flower, matching flowers by the field embankment. Jin Xiaomao (singing): A seed is dropped, Tao Jinhua (singing): A tooth grows, Jin Xiaomao (singing): Red stem, green leaves, Tao Jinhua (singing): White flowers bloom, Jin Xiaomao (singing): Black seeds bear, Tao Jinhua (singing): White powder grinds, Jin Xiaomao (singing): Black hoes make. Chorus (singing): "This flower is called—" (Ah, ah, de-er-wei, de-er-wei, de-er-wei, de-er-wei, de-shang-wei) "What kind of flower is it?" Tao Jinhua (singing): "The boy matches the flower, the girl matches the flower, matching flowers by the field embankment. Jin Xiaomao (singing): A seed is dropped, Tao Jinhua (singing): A tooth grows, Jin Xiaomao (singing): Red stem, green leaves, Tao Jinhua (singing): White flowers bloom, Jin Xiaomao (singing): Black seeds bear, Tao Jinhua (singing): White powder grinds, Jin Xiaomao (singing): Black hoes make.
Chorus (singing): "This flower is called—" (Ah, ah, de-er-wei, de-er-wei, de-er-wei, de-er-wei, de-shang-wei) "What kind of flower is it?"
This duet form is short but full of charm, using dialects familiar to the local people. The (filler words) in the lyrics add more local flavor, making it sound and cheerful. When the two sing and dance together, it is very lively, leaving a strong impression on the audience. In summary, opera thrives in the soil of the people and maintains its strong vitality and long-lasting artistic charm precisely because it uses these dialects and folk songs loved by the masses.
Section 6: The Development and Preservation of Opera in the Contemporary Era
Before the 1980s, the performance of opera remained relatively unchanged, but with the deepening of reform and opening-up and the development of electronic media, fashion trends in urban and rural areas became more consistent, and the "sound-synced image" format gradually became popular. Even in rural areas, young people who went out to work and were exposed to fashion no longer satisfied with the familiar plays, which brought challenges to local opera in adapting to the demands of contemporary young audiences. This means that while rooted in tradition and continuing it, opera also needs to face modernity and urban fashion. True folk art always remains closely tied to the customs, folk songs, and local culture of the time and place, thereby achieving aesthetic effects. Opera initially began with general life performances and gradually evolved into a more artistic, sculpted, and refined performance. This is guided by the model of opera and the aesthetic requirements of opera. However, traditional opera performance was shaped by the production and lifestyle of small-peasant economy in feudal society. The movements in opera are derived from the refinement of past life, although they have become a stylized and highly beautified form of performance. Anyone who has lived through the old era can instantly recognize the type of labor or life situation being portrayed, such as the needlework of noble women, the stitching of shoe soles by ordinary women, threading needles, pushing carts, rowing boats, grinding mills, and carrying burdens. These physical expressions have a direct and meaningful connotation. They were created by laborers and refined by artists, and were jointly created by both the audience and the artists, thus resonating deeply with the viewers.
In terms of emotional expression, such as the extreme shyness of women in feudal times or the strict etiquette of youth under rigid filial piety norms, these have lost their social foundation today. Audiences can no longer fully understand or appreciate the meaning of the characters' actions and expressions or the emotions they convey, and some are even considered unacceptable or even ugly. For example, in the Peking Opera "The Imperial Stele Pavilion," the core of the story revolves around the husband's suspicion and doubt about his wife hiding from the rain in the pavilion. However, no matter how much the husband apologizes in the play, today it seems pointless. This can be seen as a major failure in the fundamental essence of opera. Essentially, the story has lost its rationality. If the foundation is gone, how can the art survive? Under such circumstances, when both content and performance lose meaning, opera only retains a cognitive function and loses its aesthetic function, making its exit from the mainstream art scene inevitable. This is not just due to the speed of rhythm, nor can it be changed by administrative promotion or artificial revitalization. In contrast, the rigidity of folk operas is inferior to Kunqu Opera and Peking Opera, and they have more room for modification. Actors, driven by market demands, the needs of modern audiences, and their own aesthetic changes, often consciously or unconsciously add some performances with a modern and urban flair. On the premise of local charm and traditional characteristics, some folk operas have incorporated urbanization and fashion, giving them a dynamic and vibrant quality that blends ethereal beauty with concrete beauty.
By the end of the 20th century, with the rise of cultural preservation and the development of local tourism, people suddenly developed a strong interest in tradition. Some folk operas returned to their original performance styles and were once again recognized by the audience. The return to tradition reflects the resilience of tradition. All fashions come and go like the wind, but the great traditions that have been tempered by history remain like shadows, constantly revealing their elegance. The "conceptual theater" of Chinese opera and the "realistic art" of film and television stand side by side, once again capturing the attention of the world.