1. Section 2 Beijing Opera and Local Operas

2. The History of Chinese Opera Traditional Chinese opera is the cream of the Chinese culture. It came from the song and dance of the primitive society. (1)in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period : sorcerer’s dance in the feudal society, or comedian’s dance, (2)in the Han Dynasty :acrobatics to vaudeville; (3)in the Tang Dynasty: canjunxi (military staff officers’ performance), the stories became more and more complicated, and the whole thing gradually became a combination of different kinds of arts.

3. The History of Chinese Opera (4) Zaju (poetic drama set to music, usually consisting of four acts called Zhe, with one character having the singing role in each Zhe) in the Song Dynasty and Yuanben (or Zaju) in the Jin Dynasty:were comparatively complete forms of traditional Chinese opera. (5)The birth of Zaju in the Yuan Dynasty marked the maturity of traditional Chinese opera. In the Ming Dynasty, there appeared Zaju and Chuanqi (poetic or verse dramas). (6)During the reign of Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty, Kun Opera, otherwise known as Kungshanqiang or Kunqu (both qiang and qu meaning opera), came into being. As one of China’s representative classical operas, it nurtured and nourished many operas, hence the mother of operas.

4. The History of Chinese Opera (7) In the Qing Dynasty, Chuanqi continued to be popular. Local operas flourished, including Kunqiang, Gaoqiang, Xuansuoqiang,Bangziqiang, and Pihuangqiang. (8)During the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, operas were divided into Huabu and Yabu. The former, also calledLuantuan, refers to local operas while the latter to Kun Opera only, which was gradually on the wane because it was only enjoyed by the nobles in the royal court, not the general public. And it was at this historic moment that Beijing Opera, also known as Peking Opera, emerged.

5. Beijing Opera Beijing Opera (a treasure of the Chinese nation,a cultural symbol ) 1. The features of Beijing Opera: a refined classical art. Rich in content, perfect in form and unique in style; the singing is melodious and sensational; the recitation vividly brief, and harmoniously rhythmic; The music is graceful and charming; the stage art is bright and colorful; the facial make-up is a distinctive feature. Four major roles:sheng(male),dan(female),jing(painted face),chou(clown) It is very Chinese and national in color.

6. Beijing Opera 2.Different types: (1)According to the time of the story: four categories: traditional operas, costume operas, new or contemporary operas and modern operas ; (2) According to the performance style :“civil” pieces, “martial” pieces (3) According to the duration of time :ben xi, zhezi xi (4) According to the number of characters in a play : dui xi, qun xi (5) According to the type of role : laosheng show, xiaosheng ect.

7. Xiaosheng (handsome young man) Wusheng (young warriors) Laosheng (virtuous old men with beards) Types of facial make-up(sheng)

8. Types of facial make-up(dan) Tsing Yi (sedate ladies with dignities ） Huadan(either vivacious young girls or viragoes ) Laodan (old female) Daomadan (warrior women.) wudan (mili tary or non- military women capable of martial arts)

9. Types of facial make-up(Jing- hualian(painted face)) Zhengjing(male character with prominent feature in character, quality and appearance) Vice Zhengjing(outgoing male character )

10. 红色：代表忠贞、英勇的人物性格，如：黄飞虎、关羽。 蓝色：代表刚强、骁勇、有心计的人物性格，如：窦尔敦。 黑色：代表正直、无私、刚直不阿的人物形象，如：包公、张飞、李逵。 白色：代表阴险、疑诈、飞扬、肃煞的人物形象。如：曹操、严嵩。 绿色：代表顽强、暴躁的人物形象。如：武天虬。 黄色：代表枭勇、凶猛的人物，如：宇文成都、。 紫色：代表刚正、稳练、沉着的人物。 金色、银色：代表各种神怪形象。人物性格黄飞虎人物性格窦尔敦包公严嵩宇文成都怪形

12. Types of facial make-up(chou-clown) Wu Chou (military comedian in Chinese operas) Wen Chou (a kind of comedian in Chinese operas)

13. Local operas Pingju(Ping opera) Yueju(Yue opera) Yuju(Yu opera) Huangmei opera Hebei Bangzi (Hebei Wooden Clapper opera) Lǚju(Shangdong opera) Chuanju (Sichuan opera)

14. Assignments: 1. Telling stories 2. Group presentation: Chinese painting and calligraphy 3. Translations: 科举考试 / 诸侯国 / 祭歌 / 忠孝仁爱 / 博爱 / 孔曰成仁， 孟曰取义 / 中国文化之精髓 / 原始社会 / 巫 / 高雅的古 典艺术 / 中华民族的瑰宝 / 内容丰富，形式完美，风 格独特 / 古装戏 / 生旦净末丑 / 脸谱