China Yu Opera Dictionary

Author: Ma Zichen
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1998-01-01
Features: The Dictionary of Yu Opera is one of the key published books during China's "Eighth Five-Year Plan" period, approved by the State Publishing Administration. It is a product of collaboration between scholars from both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Over a thousand Yu Opera professionals from twenty provinces (regions/municipalities) participated in its compilation, resulting in over 11,200 entries and more than 1.7 million words. This is truly a monumental project. As far as I know, many dictionaries have been compiled and published for Chinese local operas, but none have been as vast in scale or as comprehensive in categories as this one. It is truly inspiring. This achievement itself demonstrate that opera is not a "dying art"; it still has a deep grassroots foundation. Without this perspective, it would be impossible to explain the spiritual driving force behind its compilation process.
How to view the current state of opera has always been a subject of diverse opinions. In academic matters, different people have different views, which is perfectly normal. However, I have always believed that opera will not disappear. While certain opera genres (such as Lu Opera and Ju Opera in Henan) may decline due to their inability to adapt to the times, as a treasured part of China's national culture, opera as a whole will not vanish. In the past half-century, some opera genres (like Lu Opera and Ju Opera in Henan) have indeed declined, but Henan Paozi Opera has flourished and reached a level of prosperity rarely seen among the over 300 opera genres in China! For example, the development of Yu Opera in Taiwan and Xinjiang—I haven't been there myself, but I've heard about it—but in Beijing, I have personally witnessed and experienced its thriving status. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, Yu Opera has stood out in terms of the number of troupes, repertoire, performance frequency, and popularity among audiences. Academia has even taken interest in calling it the "Yu Opera Phenomenon," believing it to be a phenomenon worth exploring.
The opera theory community unanimously agrees that for opera to be revitalized, theoretical research must serve as its foundation and must be combined with practice to achieve results. Now, with the publication of The Dictionary of Yu Opera (as well as the 136-volume History of Henan Opera and other major works such as Essays on the History of Opera and Comprehensive Collection of Yu Opera Art), I believe that with these theoretical achievements, the work of reviving Yu Opera will become much easier.
It should also be noted that The Dictionary of Yu Opera has introduced a large number of outstanding middle-aged and young actors. This is highly commendable. Since the older generation of artists have passed away, the backbone of the Yu Opera stage today is primarily composed of middle-aged and young actors. To promote and introduce them earlier for the sake of the development and prosperity of Yu Opera is indeed a timely and strategically significant measure.