![]() ![]() A total of 37 new “revolutionary model plays” were written in assignment of the government and strongly propagated by it. State-owned opera companies were founded and actors and actresses became state employees. ![]() This was part of the comprehensive strategy of the government to classify and save certain contents of the “old culture” and then model them to suit the new state ideology. The government regarded it as an important part of the traditional culture and invested funds in developing the art in a new direction. But as Méi Lánfāng 梅兰芳, the probably best-known Peking Opera performer and theorist at that time, brought the art first to Japan in 1919, then to the United States of America in 1930 and to Europe in 1935, the art became more popular also at home.Īfter the revolution of 1949 Peking Opera was not completely banned by the new government as many western sources put it. People know the stories they understand what happens on the stage and they understand the moral messages of the plays.Īt the beginning of 20 th century Peking Opera was not very popular in China. The stories of most plays are part of the Chinese cultural heritage. Only the dramas are considered to be deserving of the name.īoth types of Peking Opera, however, contain folklore and have all kinds of magic contents. However, serious Peking Opera enthusiasts do not consider the lighter kind of plays as Peking Opera as I have been often told. ![]() Such plays are performed today in small teahouse-theaters and some ancient palaces for visitors. The plays performed at the marketplaces and teahouses, on the other hand, had a lighter character with lots of acrobatics and humorous contents telling stories from the everyday life of the common people. ![]()
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