Beijing Opera Essay Research Paper Beijing opera

Beijing Opera Essay, Research Paper

Beijing opera is a national treasure of China with a history of 200 years. In

the 55th year of the Qing Dynasty (1790), the four big Huiban opera entered the

capital and combined with Kunqu opera, Yiyang opera, Hanju opera and Luantan in

Beijing. Through a period of more than 50 years of combination and integration

of various kinds of opera there evolved the present Beijing opera. Beijing opera

is a combination of stylized action, singing, dialogues, acrobatic fighting and

dancing to represent a story or depict different characters and their feelings

of anger, sorrow, happiness, surprise, fear and sadness. In Beijing opera there

are four main types of roles: sheng (male) dan (young female), jing (painted

face, male), and chou (clown, male or female). Sheng has some sub-categories,

including Senior, Junior, Acrobatic, Junior Acrobatic, Child, Red-face, Poor,

Official, etc. These are classified according to the role’s characteristics.

Male roles are either civil or military. The actors themselves are mainly

trained for three main parts: Senior Male Role or Lao Sheng, a middle-aged or

old man who wears a beard, Junior Male Role or Xiao Sheng (Hsiao sheng), a young

man; and Acrobatic Male Role or Wu Sheng, a man of military tenor, especially

skilled in acrobatics. Lao Sheng actors are required to attain the dignity of

bearing and gentle, polished manners of the middle-aged mandarin official or

scholar; in military plays they may be a general or high-ranking officer of a

gentler and more educated character than of the painted faces. Their apparel

accordingly is of good quality but not too garish in its design or color. A Lao

Sheng has a black or white beard, depending on his age, and wears a black hat

with two fins on either side, which vary in shape according to his rank in a

civil role. When a military role is played, the costume is quieter and of a more

uniform color than those of the warriors in the painted-face roles, but the Kao

or amour is also worn. A Lao Sheng’s voice is soft and pleasant to listen to,

neither too harsh nor too high pitched, but gentle and firm. Minor officials or

landowners who have attained a small degree of responsibility are also included

in this role. The junior male or Xiao Sheng requires of its actor the

distinguishing feature of a swirl on his forehead and high-pitched voice to

indicate his youth. The part is extremely difficult to sing, and when the actor

is speaking his voice must suddenly drop from its high-pitched quality to

indicate the voice-breaking period of adolescence. The Xiao Sheng is usually

small and slight of stature, and his clothes are often quite elaborate if a

young man of society or a young warrior is being represented, but can be subdued

if they are those of an impoverished scholar. The young warrior can often be

distinguished by his long pheasant feathers, which rise in sweeping curves from

his hat. No beard is worn for this part. Wu Sheng actors are mainly acrobats,

although they sometimes have a part, which requires much acting. They play any

part in military or civil plays, which requires a high standard of acrobats. The

skill of these actors is demonstrated in the fighting scenes, which take on a

stylized form in Beijing opera, and also in scenes from legendary stories when

immortals and devils tumble and twist about the stage showing off feats of

skill. In military plays swords and spears are wielded deftly and quickly

without the attacker actually touching his opponent. These movements require

great precision in timing, and the actor ducks and twists his body, often

turning somersaults at same time. If he is a young military officer, the Wu

Sheng will also have pheasant feathers in his hat, and four small flags or

pennants strapped to his back and high-soled boots, all of which make his

acrobatic feats even more spectacular. His costume is often bright in color,

especially in the legendary plays. A Wu Sheng actor is not trained as highly in

singing, for acting and acrobatics are his outstanding feature, but he has a

pleasant voice, slightly stronger than Lao Sheng but rather quiet in pitch, and

he sings with a natural voice. The Dan or female role can be divided into six

main parts which principally indicate character; Qing Yi, modest and virtuous

usually rich and educated; Hua dan (Hua tan) flirtatious usually poor; Gui Men

Dan, a young, married girl; Dao Ma Dan, a stronger, more forceful character,

usually a woman general; Wu Dan, the female acrobat; and Lao Dan, an old woman.

A Qing Yi actress portrays a lady of good and sympathetic character Usually of a

quiet, gentle disposition and graceful in her movements, she is the Chinese

ideal of a beautiful woman. As a wife she is faithful, as a young girl a model

of propriety. Her good breeding is shown by the graceful, flowing movements of

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