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Nanxi (Chinese Opera)
''Nanxi'' () or xiwen () was an early form of Chinese opera, developed from ancient traditions of mime artist, mime, singing, and dancing during the Song dynasty in the 12th century. The name means literally "southern drama", and the form originated in the area around Wenzhou in southeastern China. Nanxi is an abbreviation of ''nanqu xiwen'' (南曲戲文, "Southern music theatre text") or ''nan xiwen''. ''Nanxi'' started as combinations of Song plays and local folk songs and ballads, using colloquial language with many scenes. Due to its coarse language, rough prosody, and unsophisticated literary style, ''Nanxi'' was considered a low art form during the Song and Yuan dynasties. However, its status was elevated with ''Tale of the Pipa'' written by Gao Ming, a play of better literary quality and more complex structure. It was highly regarded by the Ming Hongwu Emperor. By the middle of the Ming dynasty, ''Nanxi'' had developed into a more complex dramatic form known as ''Chuanqi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Opera
Traditional Chinese opera (), or ''Xiqu'', is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more than a thousand years, reaching its mature form in the 13th century, during the Song dynasty (960–1279 AD). Early forms of Chinese theater are simple; however, over time, various art forms such as music, song and dance, martial arts, acrobatics, costume and make-up art, as well as literary art forms were incorporated to form traditional Chinese opera. Performers had to practice for many years to gain an understanding of the roles. Exaggerated features and colors made it easier for the audience to identify the roles portrayed by the performers. There are over a hundred regional branches of traditional Chinese opera today. In the 20th century, the Peking opera emerged in popularity and has come to be known as the "national theatre" of China ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dan Role
''Dan'' is the general name for female roles in Chinese opera, often referring to leading roles. They may be played by male or female actors. In the early years of Peking opera, all roles were played by men, but this practice is no longer common in any Chinese opera genre. Male ''dan'' actors Male actors who specialize in playing ''dan'' are referred to as ''nándàn'' (男旦); the practice arose during the Qing dynasty due to imperial prohibitions against women performing on stage, considered detrimental to public morality. This practice of female impersonation by male actors was led by Mei Lanfang, one of the most famous dan performers. In the early years of Peking opera, all roles were played by men. Wei Changsheng, a male performer in the Qing court, developed the , or "false foot" technique, to simulate the bound feet of women and the characteristic gait that resulted from the practice. In the late Qing dynasty and the early republic, the performance of actresses beca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Legend Of Wenlong
"The Legend of Wenlong" is an ancient folk story of Han Chinese origin, that was early on adopted by several people groups in Southern China including the Zhuang. It is also known by the name of the associated Chinese opera ''Liu Wenlong and the Water-chestnut Mirror''. It is now a traditional song of the Zhuang people that is sung at the Dragon Boat Festival in some places. 'The lost Nanxi opera version of ''Liu Wenlong and the Water-chestnut Mirror'' is the source of the versions found among the Zhuang, Dong, Buyi, Maonan and Mulao peoples of Southern China.' The story has at least an 800-year-old history and remains a form of cultural entertainment to this day both as a traditional Zhuang opera and within a number of Chinese opera adaptations. Origin and lost Nanxi version In 16th century Ming dynasty the famous painter, poet, writer and dramatist Xu Wei mentions "The Legend of Wenlong" in a list of 65 12th century Song dynasty Nanxi operas under the title ''刘文龙菱� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ming Dynasty
The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of China ruled by the Han people, the majority ethnic group in China. Although the primary capital of Beijing fell in 1644 to a rebellion led by Li Zicheng (who established the short-lived Shun dynasty), numerous rump state, rump regimes ruled by remnants of the House of Zhu, Ming imperial family, collectively called the Southern Ming, survived until 1662. The Ming dynasty's founder, the Hongwu Emperor (1368–1398), attempted to create a society of self-sufficient rural communities ordered in a rigid, immobile system that would guarantee and support a permanent class of soldiers for his dynasty: the empire's standing army exceeded one million troops and the naval history of China, navy's dockyards in Nanjing were the largest in the world. H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pipa
The pipa, pípá, or p'i-p'a () is a traditional Chinese musical instrument belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the "Chinese lute", the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12 to 31. Another Chinese four-string plucked lute is the liuqin, which looks like a smaller version of the pipa. The pear-shaped instrument may have existed in China as early as the Han dynasty, and although historically the term ''pipa'' was once used to refer to a variety of plucked chordophones, its usage since the Song dynasty refers exclusively to the pear-shaped instrument. The pipa is one of the most popular Chinese instruments and has been played for almost two thousand years in China. Several related instruments are derived from the pipa, including the Japanese biwa and Korean bipa in East Asia, and the Vietnamese đàn tỳ bà in Southeast Asia. The Korean instrument is the only one of the three that is no longer wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chou Role
The ''Chou'' is the clown role in Chinese opera. The usually plays secondary roles in a troupe. Peking opera Most studies of Peking opera classify the as a minor role. roles can be divided into (文丑), civilian roles such as merchants and jailers, and (武丑), minor military roles. The is one of the most demanding in Peking opera, because of its combination of comic acting, acrobatics, and a strong voice. characters are generally amusing and likable, if a bit foolish. Their costumes range from simple for characters of lower status to elaborate, perhaps overly so, for high status characters. characters wear special face paint, called , that differs from that of characters. The defining characteristic of this type of face paint is a small patch of white chalk around the nose. This can represent either a mean and secretive nature or a quick wit. Originally, there were five roles in Beijing opera, but the last role "Mo" became a part of "Chou". Beneath the whimsical perso ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jing Role
The ''Jing'' () is a role type in Chinese opera for "rough" or "mighty" male characters. In many genres (such as Peking opera and Cantonese opera), this role requires heavy face painting. As a result, it is also known as ''Hualian'' ("Painted face"). However, not all characters with painted faces fall into this category, with '' Chou'' (clowns) being another major painted-face role type. This type of role will entail a forceful character, so a actor must have a strong voice and be able to exaggerate gestures. Depending on the repertoire of the particular troupe, he will play either primary or secondary roles. The colour and face design represents the identity and personality of the character. Face design Face painting in Chinese theatre probably began with masks, and actors painted their faces as early as 9th-century Tang dynasty (618–907). During the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) red and white facial designs were used in opera to distinguish good characters from bad ones. After t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sheng Role
The is a role type in Chinese opera for dignified and respectable male characters such as Confucian scholars, nobles, or heads of households. They may be portrayed by actors of either sex. Subtypes The has numerous subtypes. The two major subdivisions are the (older gentlemen) and (younger gentlemen), with another important subtype being the (martial men). Peking opera troupes will always have a actor. A actor may be added to play roles fitting to his age. In addition to these main , the troupe will also have a secondary . The ( zh, c=老生, p=lǎoshēng, l=old sheng) is a dignified older role, usually distinguished by a long, thin, three-part beard. These characters have a gentle and cultivated disposition and typically wear long robes with water sleeves, high-soled boots, and fabric headdresses. A subcategory is ( zh, c=武老生, l=martial laosheng, p=wǔlǎoshēng), older generals who have combat skills. They wear armor and helmets instead of robes and fabric hat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
