Why is Peking Opera considered the quintessence of China?

Chinese Peking Opera is China's "national quintessence" and has a history of 200 years. The name of Peking Opera first appeared in "Shen Shen" in the second year of Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1876). Historically, it has been called Pihuang, Erhuang, Huangqiang, Beijing Diao, Peking Opera, Ping Opera, Chinese Opera, etc. In the 55th year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1790) After the four major Anhui troupes came to Beijing in 1999, they merged with Kun Opera, Han Opera, Yiyang Opera, Luantan Opera and other operas in the Beijing theater circle over the past 50 or 60 years, and evolved into Peking Opera, which is the largest opera type in China. The richness of its repertoire, the number of performing artists, the number of theater groups, the number of audiences, and the depth of its influence are all among the highest in the country. Peking Opera is a comprehensive performing art. It integrates singing (singing), reciting (reciting), acting (performing), fighting (martial arts), and dancing (dance), and uses programmed performance methods to tell stories, depict characters, and express "happiness, anger, sadness, and joy" , panic, fear, sadness" thoughts and feelings. The roles can be divided into four major professions: Sheng (men), Dan (women), Jing (men), and Chou (both men and women). Characters can be divided into loyal and traitorous, beautiful and ugly, good and evil. Each image is distinct and lifelike.

Formation and spread: The predecessor of Peking Opera was the Anhui troupe that was popular in the Jiangnan area in the early Qing Dynasty and mainly sang blowing tunes, high plectrums and Erhuang. The Hui Troupe is highly mobile, has frequent contact with other opera types, and has exchanges and penetrations in vocal tunes. Therefore, in the process of development, it has performed many Kunqiang operas, and also absorbed Luoluo tunes and other miscellaneous tunes. In the fifty-fifth year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1790), the first Hui Troupe (Sanqing Troupe) headed by Gao Langting (named Yueguan) entered Beijing to participate in a performance celebrating the 80th birthday of Emperor Qianlong. "Yangzhou Painted Fang Lu" records: "Gaolang Pavilion entered the capital, with the Anqing Flower Department, and combined the Qin and Beijing tunes, and named its group Sanqing." Yang Maojian's "Menghua Suobu" published in the 22nd year of Daoguang (1842) also Said: "The Three Celebrations precede the Four Celebrations. In the 55th year of Qianlong's reign, during the Gengxu period, when Emperor Gaozong entered the capital's 80-year-old blessing box, he called it 'Sanqing Emblem', making him the originator of the Hui class." Wu Zishu said in "Suiyuan Shihua" "The annotation more specifically pointed out that "Wunala, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, ordered Zhejiang salt merchants and Anqinghui people to Zhuli." Later, many Anhui classes came to Beijing one after another. The famous four classes are Sanqing, Sixi, Chuntai and Hechun. Although Hechun was founded in the eighth year of Jiaqing (1803), later than the thirteenth year of Sanqing, later generations still called it the "four major Hui classes". Beijing".

During the Qianlong and Jiaqing years, Beijing was home to a collection of cultural relics, political stability, economic prosperity, and artists of all types of dramas. On the Beijing stage, Kun Opera, Beijing Opera and Qin Opera are three pillars that stand in opposition to each other. When Huiban arrived in Beijing, they first devoted themselves to "integrating the Qin and Beijing operas". At that time, Qin Opera and Beijing Opera basically performed on the same stage, and "Beijing and Qin Opera were not distinguished" ("Yangzhou Painting Boat Record"). The Hui Troupe carried forward its tradition of learning from the strengths of others, widely absorbed the repertoire and performance methods of Qin Opera (including some Beijing Opera), and inherited many Kunqiang opera repertoire (the Kunqiang opera "The Peach Blossom Fan" was also rehearsed) and its stage art system, thus rapidly improving artistically.

The artistic characteristics of Huiban itself are the main reason why it can win in the competition. In terms of vocal tune, in addition to the new sound of the Erhuang tune that is sung, it "connects the sounds of five directions and merges into one" ("Looking at Flowers in the Sun"); in terms of repertoire, the themes are broad and the forms are diverse; In terms of performance, it is simple and real, complete with both civil and military skills, so it is suitable for the appreciation requirements of the broad audience.

In terms of performance arrangements, according to "Menghua Suobu", the four major Anhui troupes "each excel in winning performances". Sanqing wins with "axis" (performing new plays in consecutive days), Sixi wins with "qu" (good at singing Kunqu opera), Hechun wins with "bar" (good at performing martial arts), and Chuntai wins with "child" (Taking Tong Ling as a rallying cry). Have a focus on art and business, be able to use your expertise and make rapid progress. By the late Daoguang period, Huiban had taken an advantage in Beijing. "Meng Hua Suo Bu" said: "Today the Wan people are the most numerous in Yuebu, followed by the Wu people, and there are absolutely no well-known people from the Shu people." It also said: "The theater performers must have Hui troupes. The big theaters are like Guangzhou Delou, Guanghelou, Sanqingyuan and Qingyuan must also be based on Huizhou opera. "The growth and development process of Huizhou opera is also the process of its transformation into Peking opera. The completion of this evolution is mainly marked by the confluence of Hui and Han and the blending of Pi and Huang, forming a banqiang singing music system mainly composed of Xipi and Erhuang tones, which gradually improved the singing, chanting, and playing performance system.

The earliest Han opera performer who came to Beijing with the Hui Troupe was Mi Yingxian (also known as Mi Xizi), a native of Chongyang, Hubei (some say Anhui). He was born in the 45th year of Qianlong's reign (1780) and joined Chuntai around the Jiaqing period. The Hui Troupe went to Beijing to sing, acted in Zhengsheng, was good at Hongsheng opera, and gained a great reputation (see "Menghua Suobu" and Li Dengqi's "Changtan Conglu"). He is regarded as the forerunner of Yu Sansheng, a famous Han opera performer (at that time, there was a line in the lyrics of the folk art "Yasai was the same as Mi Yingxian"). During the Daoguang period (1821-1849), more and more Han opera performers came to Beijing to join the Hui troupe singing. The famous ones include Wang Honggui and Li Liu. Su Hai'an's "Yantai Hongzhao Collection" (written about 12 years before Daoguang) said: "The capital masters still admire Chu tune. Among the musicians, Wang Honggui and Li Liushan were the new ones at that time." Chu tune is Han tune, which is also Xipi tune. It can be seen that Xipi tune was already popular in Beijing at that time. Wang Honggui and Li Liu were "good at being new voices" and promoted the innovation and development of Xipi tune. With the joint efforts of Hui and Han actors, the blend of Xipi and Erhuang tones was gradually realized. At the beginning, different plays were sung separately according to different sources, and Xipi or Erhuang were sung separately; later, some operas sung both Xipi and Erhuang, and even in the same aria, Erhuang was sung first, and then Xipi was sung, and they could be coordinated with each other and integrated. . "Luo Cheng Ming Guan" (original from Hui Diao "Silk River") is an example. In terms of phonetic rhyme, the rhythm of "Zhongzhou rhyme, Huguang rhyme" is formed. The sounds of the characters are mixed with the sounds of Beijing and Hubei, and the two four-tone values ??of Beijing and Hubei are used. The pronunciation of the sharp tuan character is respectively rhymed according to the "Thirteen Rhymes". Erhuang's accompaniment instruments were repeated several times, and finally the flute was abandoned during the Xianfeng and Tongzhi years (1851-1874), and the huqin (with different tunings) was used uniformly with Xipi. However, when singing and blowing tunes, the flute was still used according to the traditional Hui class accompaniment.

In the last years of Daoguang's reign, a large number of Xipi operas emerged, and it was common for Hui troupes to perform yellow Pixi operas together. According to Yang Jingting's "Du Men Ji Lue" published in the 25th year of Daoguang Dynasty, Cheng Changgeng of the Sanqing Troupe, Zhang Erkui of the Sixi Troupe, Yu Sansheng and Li Liu of the Chuntai Troupe, and Wang Honggui of the Hechun Troupe often performed repertoire, such as "Wen Zhao" "Guan", "Capture and Release Cao", "Dingjun Mountain", "Beating Drums and Scolding Cao", "Sweeping Snow and Bowling", etc., are basically the same as the traditional plays that were commonly seen on the Peking Opera stage in the future. The Hui Troupe has adapted to Peking Opera to This has been basically completed (although it was not called Peking Opera at that time). Another theory is that Peking Opera was formed after Tan Xinpei became famous (at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century). The reason is that only by that time did Pihuang opera have strict standards from music and performance to the pronunciation and rhyme of singing and chanting; before that, that is, in the Cheng Changgeng era, it still belonged to the category of Hui tune.

In the sixth year of Tongzhi (1867), Peking Opera spread to Shanghai. The newly built Mantingfang Theater invited classes from Tianjin to Beijing and was well received by the audience. In the same year, Dangui Tea Garden invited a large number of famous Peking Opera actors through the Sanqing Troupe in Beijing, including Laosheng Xia Kuizhang (father of Xia Yuerun), Xiong Jingui (father of Xiong Wentong), Huadan Feng Sanxi (father of Feng Zihe), etc. They all settled in Shanghai and became a family of Southern Peking Opera centered in Shanghai. Afterwards, more Jingjiao came south one after another, the famous ones include Zhou Chunkui, Sun Juxian, Yang Yuelou, Sun Chunheng, Huang Yueshan, Li Chunlai, Liu Yongchun and Bangzi Huadan Tian Jiyun (think Jiuxiao), etc., thus making Shanghai become another city alongside Beijing. Peking Opera Center.

Before this, around the early years of Xianfeng, Shanghai had already had Kun Troupe and Hui Troupe performances. After Peking Opera came to Shanghai, the situation of Beijing and Hui operas on the same stage, Beijing and Kunming operas on the same stage, and Beijing Bang (bangzi) also appeared on the same stage. This played an important role in the formation of the characteristics of southern Peking Opera. Wang Hongshou (San Mazi), an outstanding Huizhou troupe actor, often participated in Beijing troupe performances after arriving in Shanghai, and brought some Huizhou operas to Beijing, such as "Xu Ce Running on the City", "Sweeping the Book under the Song", "Snow Embracing Blue Pass", etc. The troupe has incorporated one of the main tunes of the Hui troupe, "Gao Bo Zi", into Peking opera music, and also absorbed some Hongsheng operas and their performance methods from the Hui troupe into Peking opera. This played a certain role in expanding the Peking Opera repertoire and enriching stage art. In addition, the artistic activities of Bangzi artist Tian Jiyun in Shanghai also had an impact on the development of Southern Peking Opera. His "lantern plays", "Bullfighting Palace", etc. are actually the sequel to the later "organized scenery and scripted plays". Starting from the fifth year of Guangxu (1879), Tan Xinpei went to Shanghai six times. Later, famous actors such as Mei Lanfang often performed in Shanghai, which promoted the exchange of Peking Opera between the northern and southern schools and accelerated the development of Peking Opera art.

Before Peking Opera entered Shanghai, that is, after the 10th year of Xianfeng (1860), it quickly spread to all parts of the country with business travel and traveling performances by theater troupes. For example, Tianjin and the surrounding Hebei area are one of the earliest areas where Peking Opera spread. In the last years of Daoguang, Yu Sansheng was active in Tianjin (he and his father were both buried in Tianjin after their deaths); buffoon actor Liu Gansan first worked at the box office in Tianjin, and later went to Beijing to "go to the sea". Laosheng actor Sun Juxian was also a fan of Yaojin. Shandong is the only place for Huizhou operas to enter and leave Beijing, and Shandong merchants are an important force in Beijing's economic activities, so Shandong has had Peking Opera performances for a long time. As early as the Qianlong period, Anhui artists came to the Confucius Mansion in Qufu to perform in dramas. The earliest areas where Peking Opera spread include Anhui, Hubei and the three northeastern provinces. By the beginning of the 20th century, Peking Opera activities existed as far south as Fujian and Guangdong, as far east as Zhejiang, as far north as Heilongjiang, and as far west as Yunnan. During the Anti-Japanese War, Peking Opera also developed greatly in Sichuan, Shaanxi, Guizhou, Guangxi and other places.

In 1919, Mei Lanfang led a troupe to perform in Japan, and the art of Peking Opera was spread overseas for the first time; in 1924, he led a troupe to perform in Japan again, and in 1930, Mei Lanfang led a crew of twenty people He visited the United States to perform and achieved great success. In 1934, he was invited to visit Europe and performed in the Soviet Union, which attracted the attention of the European theater community. Since then, Peking Opera has been regarded as China’s drama school all over the world. Four major schools 1. Mei School

Mei School: Founded by Mei Lanfang. After graduation, Mei Lanfang pursued the highest level of art and used her performances to create a large number of images of ancient women who were kind, gentle, luxurious, elegant and with a sense of justice.

2. Cheng Pai Cheng Pai: Founded by Cheng Yanqiu. Mainly using deep and tortuous singing, and expressing ancient women through a demure and dignified stage image, she is especially good at portraying middle- and lower-class women who have suffered misfortune and have a soft exterior but a strong character.

3. Xun School: Founded by Xun Huisheng. She is good at portraying the image of innocent, lively and enthusiastic girls, with a soft and charming style.

4. Shangpai Shangpai: Founded by Shang Xiaoyun. It has a unique style of being strong and graceful. When singing, chanting, doing, and playing, it is not delicate. It relies on energy and strength to win, and has a masculine beauty. It is natural for different schools to form in various arts. Such as expressionism, experientialism, abstraction, impressionism, stream of consciousness, etc. The schools in Peking Opera are all named after actors, the so-called Mei School, Cheng School, etc. This is because Peking Opera is an actor's art centered on the starring role. It is through the actor himself extensively learning and inheriting the performance skills of his predecessors, and combining his own personality hobbies, physical characteristics and artistic accomplishments to form different artistic opinions on art, and The unique performance repertoire, methods and means created based on this have been recognized and welcomed by the audience through frequent performance practice, thus forming their own art on the Peking Opera stage based on the artistic personality and unique creation of the main actors. Trends and schools of thought.

The founders of each major school

Xu Sheng: Tan Xinpei of Tan School; Wang Guifen of Wang School; Sun Juxian of Sun School; Wang Xiaonong of Wang School; Wang Hongshou of Wang School; Liu School -Liu Hongsheng; Yu School-Yu Shuyan;

Yan School-Yan Jupeng; Gao School-Gao Qingkui;

Map School-Ma Lianliang; Qi School-Zhou Xinfang; New Tan School-Tan Fuying;

Yang Pai-Yang Baosen; - Ye Shenglan

Wu Sheng: Li Chunlai from Li Pai; Yu Jusheng from Yu Pai; Yang Xiaolou from Yang Pai; Gai Jiaotian from Gai Pai

Danjiao: Chen Delin from Chen Pai; Chen Delin from Wang Pai Wang Yaoqing; Mei School - Mei Lanfang; Cheng School - Cheng Yanqiu; Xun School - Xun Huisheng; Shang School - Shang Xiaoyun; Xiao School - Xiao Cuihua; Huang School - Huang Guiqiu

Huadan (Tsing Yi): Zhang School-Zhang Junqiu

Lao Dan: Gong School-Gong Yunfu; Li School-Li Duokui; Sun School-Sun Futing

Jingjiao: He School-He Guishan; Jin School-Jin Xiushan; Qiu Pai-Qiu Guixian; Jin Pai-Jin Shaoshan; Hao Pai-Hao Shoushen; Hou Pai-Hou Xirui; Qiu Pai-Qiu Shengrong

Harlequin: Wang Pai-Wang Changlin; Xiao Pai-Xiao Changhua; Fu Pai-Fu Xiaoshan ;Ye School-Ye Shengzhang

Examples of classic plays