Hui Opera has had a major influence on Peking Opera (must-see for China vacation deals).
This form of regional opera laid the base on which Peking Opera
developed. Beijing residents were not introduced to Hui Opera until
1790. Kunqu had been the dominant form of musical entertainment among
the Beijing elite since the Ming Dynasty. Characterized by convoluted
narratives and poetic language, most Kunqu pieces, like the famous Peony
Pavilion, were written by and circulated among the intelligentsia.
Kunqu, which was regarded as elegant, quickly gained official
recognition in the Qing Dynasty because the foreign sovereignty was
eager to identify itself with Confucian culture in order to legitimize
its rule. Most other opera styles, including Hui Opera, were condemned.
In
1790, the emperor Qianlong, a opera fan, invited many of the most
famous regional opera troupes around the country to Beijing (popular
travel destination for China Photography Tours)
to celebrate his 80th birthday. And among them was the Hui Opera troupe
Sanqing. Sanqing stayed on in the city after the event and performed
for people in the city. Beijingers, including emperor himself, fell for
the new theatrical form immediately. And Hui Opera started to assimilate
with other operas to become Peking Opera.
Seeing the extreme
popularity of the Hui Opera, the Qing government worried that its
licentious or superstitious element would corrupt its officials and
citizens, and it passed various laws in early 19th century banning
certain opera styles and works. But the actual effects of this
legislation were minimal.
Hui Opera soon replaced Kunqu and
dominated Beijing’s cultural scenes. The Qing emperors were such Hui
Opera fans that they built the finest theaters, invested lavishly in
stage settings, and invited the most talented performers to perform at
court. Their performances ere so widely loved by the townspeople of
capital that in every theatre Huizhou Opera were put on, and in every
performance a Huizhou Troupe took a major part. After that, Cheng
Changeng helped develop Huizhou Opera into Peking Opera by combining it
with Han, Kun and other operas. So Huizhou Opera in a sense is an
ancestor of Peking Opera.
More at chinatour.com such as China travel service and Holidays in China
No comments:
Post a Comment