The Origin and Early Development of Chinese Opera
Chinese opera, together with Greece tragic-comedy and Indian Sanskrit Opera are the three oldest dramatic art forms in the world. During the Tang Dynasty, the Emperor Xuanzong established an opera school with the poetic name Liyuan (Pear Garden). From that time on, performers of Chinese opera were referred to as “disciples of the pear garden”. During the Qing Dynasty, it became fashionable among ordinary people. Performances were watched in tearooms, restaurants, and even around makeshift stages.
The Elements and Features of Chinese Opera
It evolved from folk songs, dances, antimasque, and especially distinctive dialectical music. Gradually it combined music, art and literature into one performance on the stage. Accompanied by traditional musical instruments like the erhu and the lute, actors present unique melodies, as well as dialogues which are beautifully written and of high literary value.
What appeals to foreigners most might be the different styles of facial make-up, which is one of the highlights and requires distinctive techniques of painting. Exaggerated designs are painted on each performer’s face to symbolize a character’s personality, role, and fate. This technique may have originated from ancient religions and dance. Audiences who are familiar with opera can know the story by observing the facial paintings as well as the costumes. Generally, a red face represents loyalty and bravery; a black face, valor; yellow and white faces, duplicity; and golden and silver faces, mystery.
The Regional Varieties of Chinese Opera
Over the past 800 years, Chinese opera has evolved into many different regional varieties based on local traits and accents. Today, there are over 300 dazzling regional opera styles. Kunqu Opera in Jiangsu Province is a typical ancient opera style and features gentleness and clearness. Beijing Opera is the best-known Chinese opera style. With almost a 200-year history, Beijing Opera has become one of the most influential Han operas in China, and is regarded as the quintessence of Chinese culture. Kunqu Opera and Beijing Opera were listed into UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List in 2001 and 2010 respectively.
The Modern Promotion of Chinese Opera
In the 21st century, Chinese opera is greatly encouraged to be publicly staged not only in formal Chinese opera houses but also on local stages. And many more local operas have been listed as the national or provincial cultural heritage. In addition, local governments offer financial support to promote the publicity of operas.
