Studies on Chinese Opera
“Studies on Folk Stage of Yuzanji during Ming and Qing Dynasty”
By Zhao Pinping
Abstract: Yuzanji, is a Kunqu play written by Gao Lian, a famous dramatist in Ming dynasty. It remains being performed for over four centuries. This article makes a study of the folk stage of Yuzanji by both literati’s family troupe and theatrical troupe since Qing dynasty and explores its everlasting artistic vitality. Following this example, multidimensional ways of spreading legends of Ming and Qing dynasties could be deeply understood.
Key words: Yuzanji, folk, stage, spread
Theories on Chinese Drama
“Cross-cultural Adaptation during the Anti-Japanese War---On Zhao Qingge’s Shengsilian and Cihenmianmian” By Hu Bin
Abstract: Zhao Qingge was a female writer who was quite active in Chongqing’s literary circles during the Anti-Japanese War but long neglected by the research community. To ease the shortage of scripts during the war, she adapted Victor Hugo’s Angelo and Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights into Shengsilian and Cihenmianmian respectively. Without losing the spirit of the original works, she recreated them boldly and successfully sinicized those two love tragedies with the War as the historical background. She put the tragic experiences into her adaptations, which were within the psychological endurance of the current people. At that time, these two works had great impact and should not be forgotten.
Key words: Zhao Qingge, Shengsilian, Cihenmianmian, the Anti-Japanese War drama, cross-cultural adaptation
Drama & Society
“Survey of Relationships between Singers and Audiences of Peking Opera in the 1950s of Beijing” By Xie Yongjun
Abstract: In 20th century, Peking opera dominated the Beijing theatre. Many famous opera singers won lots of audiences. Thus there existed complex relationships between opera singers and audiences. This article focuses on the comments made by Beijing audiences in the 1950s on opera singers and the operas and aims at surveying the current Beijing’s histrionic situation from the perspective of the Peking opera itself. It also depicts how relationships between the opera singers and audiences during the early days of the new China transformed into confrontation and its impact on current the creation of Peking opera.
Key words: famous opera singers, audience, relationships between the opera singers and audiences, harmony, confrontation
Studies on Taiwanese Drama
“Drama Types and Ethnic Groups: Cultural Identity of Taiwanese Drama during the Japanese Invasion” By Fu Jin
Abstract: Dramas of different ethnic groups has different cultural features and identity and would become the special “weapon” defending its own culture from foreign invasions. After occupying Taiwan, Japanese intendedly imported their drama into Taiwan. Although the theatre-building boom in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic period aroused people’s fervor for drama, it promoted the performance of Chinese mainland’s dramas and theatrical troupes in Taiwan. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, Japanese further carried out its japanization and brutally suppressed Chinese dramas. Japanese invaders even attempted to transformed Taiwanese opera into their colonial tool, which was strongly resisted by Taiwanese opera singers and drama workers. The trajectory of drama in Taiwan during the Japanese occupation reflected the cultural identity of Taiwanese people and proved that their passion towards drama was even greater than the political and military powers.
Key words: modern drama history, Taiwanese opera, modern theatre, Japanization
