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Wei Changsheng
Wei Changsheng (, 1744–1802), courtesy name Wanqing (), also known as Wei San (), was a Chinese ''qinqiang'' (''bangzi'' opera) actor of the Qing dynasty who played ''dan role, huadan'' roles (i.e. he impersonated bubbly young women). In 1779, during his second trip to Beijing, he created such a sensation that theatregoers flocked to his performances away from ''gaoqiang'' (preferred by commoners) and ''kunqu'' (preferred by Qing emperors), thereby permanently changing the landscape of Chinese opera. In order to curb the craze (and also because Wei's performances were often obscene) the Qing government expelled him and ''qinqiang'' from Beijing in 1785. He went south to perform ''kunqu'' in Yangzhou, but many of his innovations and art remained in the capital and were absorbed by Peking opera several decades later. Wei Changsheng had a reputation for being immoral, and likely had a homosexual relationship with Heshen, the most influential politician of the time. References ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Courtesy Name
A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particularly in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. Courtesy names are a marker of adulthood and were historically given to men at the age of 20, and sometimes to women upon marriage. Unlike art names, which are more akin to pseudonyms or pen names, courtesy names served a formal and respectful purpose. In traditional Chinese society, using someone's given name in adulthood was considered disrespectful among peers, making courtesy names essential for formal communication and writing. Courtesy names often reflect the meaning of the given name or use homophonic characters, and were typically disyllabic after the Qin dynasty. The practice also extended to other East Asian cultures, and was sometimes adopted by Mongols and Manchu people, Manchus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |