How Is Emotion Expressed in Chinese Opera - Essay Example

How Is Emotion Expressed in Chinese Opera? Music plays a role of profound importance in Chinese opera in expressing emotions. It is claimed in research studies that during the performance of Beijing opera, “emotion is expressed most fully in song” (Wichmann 269). This is why one of the key principles in Chinese opera is about laying indefinite emphasis on vocal techniques. For example, vocal techniques are tried to be facilitated by mentoring speech skills of actors and actresses. Most fans of Western opera describe their first experience of Chinese opera as peculiar and somewhat difficult because they are not used to the high-pitched voices of Chinese performers. However, the vocal techniques and speech skills of performers begin to affect the audience in a unique way as the performance continues. Musical progressions and costumes of Chinese actors are different from anything witnessed in European opera. The Chinese counterpart stands distinguished in respect that vocal techniques are used primarily in songs. Research claims that these techniques form a core principle because they help to express emotion in Chinese opera by enhancing “the aesthetic qualities of sound in the language of the pihuang musical system” (Wichmann 267). The musical system employed in Chinese opera is called pihuang. Musical progressions hold extreme importance in Chinese opera in terms of expressing emotion which is why Chinese opera is also sometimes called pihuang theatre. The pihuang system comprises of many elements like modal system and modes which are arranged according to requirements of a specific play to demonstrate “the fundamental psychology of its major characters” (Wichmann 53). Discuss the debate about nandan performance in the first several decades of the twentieth century. What were the arguments for and against men playing female roles on the Chinese opera stage? Give a brief historical overview of cross-gender performance in Chinese opera. The debate about nandan performance poses fatal questions to Chinese opera. People still argue if it is right to abolish nandan or not. Nandan performance is about female impersonation in Chinese opera. The early Republican era or the first several decades of the 20th century are considered the best of times for nandan performers who are male actors entrusted with the controversial job of portraying women. The Republican stage in the early 20th century promoted the popularity of nandan stars like Mei Lanfang and Cheng Yanqiu. These nandan performers surpassed other male actors who played roles of idealistic macho type men. Historical evidence suggests that these nandan performers are credited for leading Chinese opera into “the epoch of nandan” (Wu). Despite bagging acclaim and playing a role in evolving Chinese opera, nandan performers were also harshly criticized and shamed by the Chinese society in the early decades of the 20th century. Research claims that time period from the mid-1910s to the 1930s saw one after another outraged call to abolish nandan performance or female impersonation. Chinese opera came under increasing pressure to abolish nandan. Conformation to conventional ideals of Chinese society formed the bedrock of such outraged calls. Criticism originating from within the Republican social discourse continued to consistently scorch nandan performers. Barriers in the way of nandan were particularly created by those intellectuals who feared that the widespread popularity of female impersonators could limit opportunities for female actors and prevent “the Chinese from building a modern nation” (Wu). The origin of this argument that female impersonation is one big obstacle in the way of modernity lies in the early 20th century. It is one of the most important arguments made against men playing female roles in Chinese opera. The logic behind this argument is that just a little while before nandan performance got introduced in China, the Qing empire collapsed. The Qing emperors were very conservative and close-minded who banned women from appearing on stage. These bans were exercised on grounds of sexual appeal of female performers which was thought to negatively influence social morality in China. With the collapse of this empire in 1912, consistent bans on women to participate in theatre were also lifted. This brought hope for more female faces to appear in Chinese opera. Just when female performers began to appear in xinju (one of the early forms of Chinese drama), employment of men in opera or theatre to portray women served to trigger a fierce debate. This is because some of the Chinese intellectuals who harbored feelings of sympathy for female actors popularized nandan as a very artificial and weak form of art performance which not only creates difficulty in expressing emotions, but also “weakens the audience’s affective power” (Wu). In contrast, another argument made in support of nandan performers by a popular xinju critic suggested that women need not be employed in theatre to perform female roles because nandan actors have more qualification and skills needed to serve this task sufficiently (Zhou cited in Wu). Discuss some of the main differences between traditional Chinese opera and the revolutionary model opera prominent during China’s Cultural Revolution. Revolutionary opera is a term used to refer to the model operas which were introduced during the Cultural Revolution. Traditional Chinese opera got revolutionized in many aspects from role type to music to costume to makeup. Change was brought in both form and content of traditional opera which had survived for centuries. The Cultural Revolution gave intellectuals power to change the intensely traditional world of Beijing opera into a new revolutionary art form. For example, anything including playwright, roles, dialogues, plot, and costumes which attempted to insult the proletarian class or just appeared simply backward got banned by the Standing Committee for Theatre Reform. This committee was created by the Ministry of Culture and it was controlled by Mao Zedong who founded the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in China. Differences between traditional Beijing opera and revolutionary opera are obvious not only by the way many stage conventions got removed, but also by the way alterations were brought in backdrop and lighting (Terzuolo 37). Use of more stage props began to be promoted and music also underwent transitions. This is because “the orchestra moved from its traditional location on stage to being hidden behind a curtain” (Terzuolo 37). Many important techniques pertaining to the plot and performance were also developed by planners of the revolutionary opera. These techniques were not seen in traditional Chinese opera. One such technique worth mentioning here is the technique of san tuchu which is considered a forerunner of the “Three Stresses” campaign in China (Terzuolo 37). Works cited: Terzuolo, Chiara P. “Opera and Politics.” Stanford Journal of East Asian Affairs 9.1 (2009): 34-45. Print. Wichmann, Elizabeth. Listening to Theatre: The Aural Dimension of Beijing Opera. University of Hawaii Press, 1991. Print. Wu, Guanda. “Should Nandan Be Abolished? The Debate over Female Impersonation in Early Republican China and Its Underlying Cultural Logic.” Asian Theatre Journal 30.1 (2013): 189-206. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. Read More