Peking opera reflects China's culture

By Amal Hewavissenti

Peking opera is what simply represents the tradition of great national drama for the Chinese. This opera in China has earned a growing chorus of praise not only from the Chinese themselves but likewise from global drama lovers. It is because of it resplendence and appeal. In 1919 a team of operatic actors headed by Melang Fong managed to attract a massive audience when they staged the Peking opera in Japan.

This was the first international staging of Peking opera and a giant step forward in popularising it with international drama lovers.

Thus, Peking opera has occupied a marked position in Chinese drama and it has spread itself as an art throughout China owing to its classic features. In fact, it is really an entertaining art a blend of dancing, music, and martial arts fused into a drama. It is a perfect tradition of drama which clearly reflects positive aspects of Chinese culture.

This is rated the most popular art among people of China and a musical drama that mirrors the national identify of Chinese people.

What is Peking opera?

Peking opera (or Beijing opera) is perhaps a mixture of interesting features of Kungu, Hanju, Luantan and Yigang, forms of operas in practice during Qing period.

This drama includes singing, dancing, dialogues and music which narrates a particular story using an array of characters. Action involves jumping, leaping, acrobatic movements and difficult somersaults.

The opera, through its story, is capable of generating sorrow, happiness, fear, wonder, anger and various emotions in the viewer. This is the prime reason for its success and popularity as an art.

The opera uses four types of characters. They are Sheng (male characters), Dan or Young men, Jing or male characters with coloured faces and chou (male or female characters). These characters represent various moods, human qualities and backgrounds. It often involves a fairy tale, a historical tale or any other attractive tale.

The stories of Peking opera took over a novel shape with the cultural change brought about by the Chinese revolution. Such stories often focused on revolution themes, problems of farmers and workers and the challenges they encountered in the new political and social set up of China.

The Peking operas such as Red Lamp, and White hair girl highlighted revolution themes.

Today opera houses and modern technology is exploited to stage Peking operas successfully.

The popularity of Peking opera is such that most countries particularly Great Britain and America have established centers to teach it it selected students and enthusiasts.

How it evolved

Peking opera originated and evolved in the city of Peking (now Beijing of new China) which was the cultural, political and economic center of China more than 200 years ago.

The city of Peking (Beijing) was a highly prosperous city during eighteenth century and the developed economy of the city attracted an enormous crowd including traders and wealthy businessmen. The developed economy of the city of Peking facilitated dramatists in creating the opera. The rulers after emperor Chiang Lung of China (1736) showed a marked partiality to the art of drama and established close ties with dramatists.

They sponsored the dramatists and dramatists in turn performed their best.

The Suochau drama (presenting a story through dialogues and singing) offered new ideas for the Opera makers in the selection of dialogues, music, dances and characterisation for the opera.

By its appealing charm, the Peking Opera, exerted a compelling influence on the taste of the average audience of Beijing and that of the rulers as well. In short, the Peking Opera was welcomed with open arms by audiences of North and South China. The Peking opera was enjoyed by all those from cities as well as those from villages.

By mid 19th century, Peking opera made its transition from northern China to the South the city of Shanghai where it got blended with the cultural traits of the city. This Peking opera staged in Shanghai is generally known as NanPai Peking opera.

Meland Fong is the Superlative operatic actor in the History of Operas and is the landmark figure in transferring the art of opera to foreign countries and cultures. He played a key role in teaching Peking opera to the foreigners who came to China and engaged in discussions with them about the opera. This opened Peking opera to the international drama traditions.

Melang Fong took Chinese culture to Japan, Russia and America through this exclusive drama.

He organised foreign tours with the best drama ensembles performing in Beijing, Shanghai and Tienching.

They exchanged certain elements in Peking opera with the western drama. Actors such as Lui Mu tang, Ssantan, Shi Oyan Lo staged this opera in European countries and studied music, direction, stage set up and management of drama in western countries.

However, their effort has succeeded in introducing the supreme artistic quality of Peking opera to the international audience.