Why there was a new Yueju opera reform in the 1940s

From its formation at the beginning of the 20th century, its gradual entry into the big cities after the Xinhai Revolution, and its conscious reform in 1942 until the liberation of Shanghai, the whole growth of Yueju Opera was situated in one of the great epochs of Chinese history.

This era was characterized by a series of major historical events, including the Xinhai Revolution, the May Fourth Movement, the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, the Northern Expeditionary War, the Agrarian Revolution, the Ten-Year Civil War, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Peaceful Democracy Movement, and the War of Liberation.

The various social forces were intricate, the social development was varied, and the historical process was tortuous and circuitous. The whole era was filled with the vigorous spirit of the Chinese people's struggle for national independence and democratic happiness. However, this spirit of the times, which was so vigorous in its struggle, was born and manifested precisely in response to the dark side of the times, which corresponded to the dark and decadent rule and the national peril.

For the art of opera, this era requires more and more expressive types of plays and repertoires to express the complex and rich thoughts and feelings of the modern society, and to express the spiritual world and life ideals of the people, especially the citizen class.

Expanded:

The reform of the Yueju opera was not an isolated monolith. However, it is one of the few Chinese opera genres that has stood out from the general wave of diverse reforms that have taken place in various opera genres, and has become one of the few genres with outstanding reform achievements.

The flower of reform cultivated by Yuan Xuefen and her partners has borne fruit and had a wide impact. Although the history of Yueju opera is not long, the time of reform is even shorter, focusing mainly on the 10 years adjacent to the founding of the country. But her experience is relatively new and practical.

After the founding of the PRC, the social environment of opera changed fundamentally, and the reform of opera was not only a spontaneous matter of the opera world itself, but also became a basic cultural policy of the state, which in turn became a special opportunity for Yueju opera to bring the impact of her reform into excellent play.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Yueju Opera