Yueju (Cantonese Opera)

Ⅳ-36Traditional OperaMinzhengshiwuju, Hong Kong, ChinaBatch 1 (2006)Newly Added ItemFeatured

01 · Historical Records

At the turn of the Ming and Qing, Yiyang qiang and Kunqiang entered Guangdong. Around 1912 Cantonese opera performance had basically switched to the Guangzhou dialect, its performing system growing ever more complete, and it began to intersperse folk songs and popular tunes among the banghuang and to replace falsetto with the “pinghou” natural voice.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

The early traditional repertory of Cantonese opera consisted mainly of the so-called “eighteen rivers-and-lakes plays”, such as Yipeng Xue, Er Du Mei, Sanguan Tang, Si Jinshi and Wu Deng Ke; later came the “new eighteen rivers-and-lakes plays” such as Huanghua Shan, Xihe Hui, Shuang Jie Yuan and Xue Zhong Yuan, and the “eighteen grand-spectacle plays” such as Su Wu Mu Yang and Daiyu Zang Hua. Other representative pieces include Bai Jinlong, Huoshao Epang Gong, Pinggui Bie Yao, Baolian Deng, Luo Cheng Xie Shu and Fengyi Ting. Cantonese opera's basic vocal styles are bangzi and erhuang, with gaoqiang, Kunqiang and Guangdong folk narrative-song and popular tunes as well. Its orchestra began with the “five-frame” combination of erxian, yueqin, sanxian, bamboo fiddle and xiao, and later absorbed other modern instruments. It originally had ten roles—mo, sheng, dan, jing, chou, wai, xiao, fu, tie and za—later simplified to six types: wenwusheng, xiaosheng, zhengyin huadan, erbang huadan, chousheng and wusheng. Its performance has a plain, robust character, with such feats as single-foot work, cable-sliding, eye-rolling, small jumps and waist-bending. Its martial arts are based on southern boxing, excelling in target work, hand-bridge, Shaolin boxing and the demanding chair and high-platform skills. Its make-up is simple but strongly coloured, and its costumes mostly use Guangzhou embroidery, exquisite and splendid with a rich local character. Cantonese opera widely absorbs such local art forms as Guangdong music, Guangzhou embroidery, ivory carving, ceramics and ash sculpture, fully expressing the regional cultural tradition of the Cantonese-speaking community, radiating worldwide and possessing a powerful cultural cohesion among Chinese communities around the world.

Yipeng Xue (A Handful of Snow)

One of the “eighteen rivers-and-lakes plays”, the early traditional repertory of Cantonese opera.

Er Du Mei (The Second Plum Blossom)

One of the “eighteen rivers-and-lakes plays” of Cantonese opera's early repertory.

Sanguan Tang (The Hall of the Three Officials)

One of the “eighteen rivers-and-lakes plays” of Cantonese opera's early repertory.

Si Jinshi (The Four Graduates)

One of the “eighteen rivers-and-lakes plays” of Cantonese opera's early repertory.

Wu Deng Ke (Five Examination Successes)

One of the “eighteen rivers-and-lakes plays” of Cantonese opera's early repertory.

Huanghua Shan (Yellow Flower Mountain)

One of the “new eighteen rivers-and-lakes plays” of Cantonese opera.

Xihe Hui (The Western River Gathering)

One of the “new eighteen rivers-and-lakes plays” of Cantonese opera.

Shuang Jie Yuan (A Double Union)

One of the “new eighteen rivers-and-lakes plays” of Cantonese opera.

Xue Zhong Yuan (Grievance Buried in Snow)

One of the “new eighteen rivers-and-lakes plays” of Cantonese opera.

Su Wu Mu Yang (Su Wu Tends Sheep)

One of the “eighteen grand-spectacle plays” of Cantonese opera.

Daiyu Zang Hua (Daiyu Buries the Flowers)

One of the “eighteen grand-spectacle plays” of Cantonese opera, drawn from Dream of the Red Chamber.