A brief history of Chaozhou opera

Chaozhou Opera, also known as Chaozhou Opera, Yin Chao Opera, Chaozhou Tune, Chaozhou Bai Zi and Chaozhou Qu, is mainly popular in Chaozhou, and it is an ancient local opera of Han nationality sung in Chaozhou dialect.

Chaozhou Opera is mainly distributed in eastern Guangdong, southern Fujian, Taiwan Province Province, Hongkong and Shanghai, as well as Southeast Asia, the United States, Canada, France, Australia and other areas where overseas Chinese and Chaozhou-speaking Chinese live together.

Chaozhou opera is often performed at temple fairs to show respect for the "master" (referring to the gods), and ordinary people also like to watch it in a very lively atmosphere, which makes the festival atmosphere more intense. Therefore, Chaozhou opera is more folk-custom than other operas.

Chaozhou Opera is a branch of Southern Opera in Song and Yuan Dynasties, which evolved gradually from Southern Opera in Song and Yuan Dynasties. This is an ancient drama with a history of more than 4 4 0 years. It mainly absorbed the characteristics of Yiyang Opera, Kunqu Opera, Bangzi and Pihuang, and combined with local Han folk arts such as Chaozhou dialect, Chaozhou music, Chaozhou songs and Chaozhou embroidery, and finally formed its own unique artistic form and style.

From12nd century to13rd century, China traditional operas formed northern zaju and southern operas (southern operas). Northern Zaju was developed on the basis of the original Song and Jin Dynasties. Achieve the prosperity of the Yuan Dynasty; Southern Opera was first formed and developed in Wenzhou, Zhejiang at the beginning of12nd century. In the spread and development of Song and Yuan Dynasties for more than 200 years, Southern Opera spread to the Yangtze River valley and the southeast coast, forming Yiyang Opera (Jiangxi), Haiyan Opera, Yu Yaoqiang Opera (Zhejiang), Kunshan Opera (Suzhou) and Quanchao Opera (southern Fujian and eastern Guangdong).

There are generally two situations in which southern operas spread to various places and formed local operas. "One is that after the original tune of Southern Opera spread to various places, it was sung by opera actors in the local language, which changed constantly due to differences in language and intonation, and gradually localized in style; One is the local Han folk music-from yangko and minor to some religious songs, which has been constantly adopted in traditional Chinese opera, enriching the original tunes. These two factors infiltrated each other and formed many different styles of vocal operas. The development of Chaozhou Opera in Ming Dynasty proved that there was a prosperous performance of Southern Opera in Chaoshan area in Yuan and Ming Dynasties. Some scripts of the early Southern Opera in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, such as Yan Chen (the story of Chen and Lian Jingniang) and Liu Xibi's "The Story of Chai Jin", which are lost in historical records, are all evidences that the early Southern Opera was circulated in Chaoshan area.

Secondly, The Story of Chai Jin by Cai and Liu Xibi is a script of Southern Opera sung in Chaozhou dialect, which shows that after the Southern Opera spread to the current Chaoshan area, Chaozhou artists also sang in Chaozhou dialect. Due to the differences in pronunciation and intonation, the original tunes have changed, and Chaozhou folk music and minor tunes have been absorbed at the same time, thus forming a new tune-Chaoqiang on the basis of Southern Opera. In the Ming Dynasty, Dai Jing wrote in Guangdong Tongzhi: "Tide customs often play with local accent". In the early Qing Dynasty, Qu Dajun wrote in "Guangdong New Language": "chaozhou people sings North-South songs with local accent, which is called Chaozhou Opera." The excavation of these two-handed copybooks is the evidence that chaozhou people sang the North-South songs with local accent.

Thirdly, Litchi Story and Lijing Story are scripts written by Chaozhou Han folk stories, which are complete in structure and skillful in techniques, indicating that Super Power has matured during Jiajing period, so its formation time should naturally be before Jiajing. At what age? According to relevant historical data, some opera experts believe that "Spring Tide Opera was very popular before the middle of Ming Dynasty, with unique repertoire and performance forms, and spread in Quanzhou, Zhangzhou and Chaozhou". More than 500 years have passed since "before the middle of Ming Dynasty", that is, at the beginning of15th century. If we count from Jiajing Bingyin (1566) in Li Jing Ji, the absolute number of Chaozhou opera history has exceeded 4 5 0 years.

After the development of Ming and Qing dynasties, Chaozhou opera experienced a tortuous course in modern times.

During the period of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Chaozhou Opera was in a declining stage. Although there were many class clubs, there were few at this time.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, literature and art were valued and Chaozhou Opera was revived. In the past, Chaozhou Opera always practiced children's drama system, and Xiao Sheng, Tsing Yi and Hua Dan were all played by children artists. When these artists grew up, their voices changed and they were eliminated, which seriously hindered the development of Chaozhou Opera. After the founding of New China, the children's drama system was abolished and various reforms were carried out, and a large number of outstanding actors were trained, which made Chaozhou Opera, an ancient art, glow with new brilliance. In the golden age of 1950s and 1960s, there were nearly 200 professional and amateur Chaozhou opera troupes, and the first generation of "Five Golden Flowers" was widely praised. He has performed in Beijing twice and received rave reviews from all sides.

During the "Cultural Revolution", all these troupes were dissolved, and it was not until Chiang Ching's counter-revolutionary group was crushed that they resumed.

Since the reform and opening up, under the impact of various new forms of entertainment and market economy, Chaozhou Opera, like other traditional operas in China, has been advancing in difficulties and constantly exploring new development paths.

Chaozhou Opera was widely circulated in Chaozhou, Zhao 'an and Xiao Yun in southern Fujian in the late Ming Dynasty, which was closely related to Liyuan Opera. In the forty-five years of Jiajing in Ming Dynasty (1566), Li Jingji, a play published by Jianyang Masha, was sung in the style of "spring tide" and absorbed the music tunes of Nanxi Opera. According to the Records of Chaozhou Mansion written by Shunzhi in Qing Dynasty, in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty, Chaozhou Opera was "mixed with bamboo, silk, string and southern tune". The Qianlong edition of Chaozhou Fuzhi contains: "The legends played are all based on the southern accent", "The songs are light and graceful, and the songs are miscellaneous." In the Qing Dynasty, Li thought that "Chaozhou dialect sounds like Fujian dialect" because the aria of the repertoire was mixed with Chaozhou dialect in Minnan dialect.

In the Qing Dynasty, Chaozhou Opera flourished in Chaoshan and southern Fujian. In the 13th year of Qianlong (1748), Cai Bolong of Zhangpu said in Interpretation of Official Sounds: "Do orthography, sing official accent; Do white words and sing spring tunes; Do the trendy tune, sing the trendy tune ..... "In the 21st year of Jiaqing (18 16)," Xiao Yun Tang Lu "said:" Good men believe in women, and good plays attract prostitutes to increase their worries. Why do you see it? Although we can't completely revolutionize today, we must learn from them and make songs so that those who listen can improve their conscience and not be helpless. "

From the late Qing Dynasty to the 1920s and 1930s, Chaozhou Opera flourished. "Yunxiao County Records" Volume 4 "Local Customs" records: "According to our city, only Chaozhou Opera is popular now, so we like to perform country songs and spread Pulp Fiction to cater to women and children. Every time I sing, I will stay up all night and the whole country will be crazy about it. " Moreover, "a street club performs at least a dozen sets every year, which is expensive." Workshops near Longyan also "cross-border" and "compete for Chaozhou Opera" performances. According to the content and theme, these dramas are divided into three categories: Grand Palace Drama, Small Palace Drama and Su Gongxiu. Most of the big gongs are traditional operas, and there are some dramas of the Southern Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty, such as Cai Boxiao, Liu Zhiyuan, Guo Hua, Moon Worship and Chai Jing. Luo Xiao plays mostly take folk themes as life plays, such as Peach Blossom Crossing the River and Collection of Books in Yichun. Su Gongxiu belongs to court drama and martial arts drama.

When and on what basis did Chaozhou Opera come into being and develop? Researchers have different opinions. One said that it was developed from the Chaozhou witchcraft Guan Xi Tong, and the other said that Chaozhou Opera was a branch of Yiyang Opera, which was "the direct product of Yiyang Opera after it spread everywhere".

It was not until 1930s that Chaozhou unearthed the scripts of Chaozhou Opera in the Ming Dynasty and the scripts of Nanxi Opera written by artists in the Ming Dynasty, and only then did historical data prove the origin of Nanxi Opera in Chaozhou Opera.

1936, China historian Xiang da published the article "Notes on China Documents Collected in Oxford" in Beiping library journal, and introduced the script of Ban Quli Peking Opera (namely "Chen Sanwu Niang"), a Chaozhou opera collected in the library of Oxford University in England, for the first time. The full name of the play is "Reprinting the beautiful scenery of Goulan in the Five-color Tidal Spring in the Northern Song Dynasty". This engraving of Oxford University, because "the last page is incomplete, it is impossible to know when this book will be published", but Xiang Da thinks that "from the font and illustration form, it is similar to the version published around Wanli in Ming Dynasty".

Twenty years have passed since I introduced the litchi mirrors collected in Oxford. During 1956, Mei Lanfang and China Peking Opera Troupe visited Japan, and saw another Ming version of Banquli Peking Opera in tenri university, Japan, as well as another "Golden Flower in the City (Su six niang)" hidden in the Institute of Tokyo University. Tenri university's Ming version of "Lijing Opera" is the same version as that of Oxford University. But the book is well preserved, and the last page is the text of the bookstore's confession and the words "Jiajing Bingyin Year". Jiajing was the year number of Zhu Houzong, the sejong of the Ming Dynasty, and the year of Jiajing's Bing Yin was 1566. The Complete Works of Golden Flower collected by Toyo University Research Institute of Tokyo University has no engraving year, but according to experts' research, it is an engraving in Wanli period of Ming Dynasty (see Five Postscripts of Chao Opera in Ming Dynasty).

At the end of Jiajing's block-printed volume, the bookstore had a confession: "Reprint the play of Li Jing Ji, with a total of 150 leaves. Due to the mistakes in the previous Litchi Book, the number of songs has decreased. Now, the second part of Chao Quan is added, and it is reprinted with "Yan Chen", "Goulan, Poetry, Beiqu and Correction", so that poets and poets can have a look at it in their leisure time. Buyers must approve the book. It shows that this "second edition" version is formed by adding "Yan Chen" and "Beiqu" and "correcting" the mistakes in the old version of Litchi.

1964, Professor Peter Long, the director of the Institute of Oriental Studies at Oxford University, discovered another block-printed version of Chao Opera in the Ming Dynasty in the National Library of Vienna, Austria, and published it in the new temple of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 158 1). This "newly carved" version of Chao Opera is not called Litchi Story, but called Litchi Story, which is a different performance with the same story content as Litchi Story. It is still difficult to determine whether the original edition is Jiajing's reprinting of Li Jing Ji, but it is a "new edition" at the moment, indicating that it exists in the original edition (the first edition) in Wanli period. At the moment, the front of this book is engraved with the words "Chaozhou Dongyue Li Bian". Local operas are ungrateful, and the names of playwrights are few. This edition is also engraved with screenwriter chaozhou people Li Dongyue.

During the discovery of the overseas editions of Chao Opera in Ming Dynasty in 1958 and 1975, the scripts of Chai Jin by Cai Bokai and Liu Xibi were unearthed in Yuhu, Jieyang County and Feng Tang, Chao 'an County, respectively. The excavation of these two manuscripts has attracted great attention of Chinese and foreign drama experts, who regard them as "precious documents for studying the history of drama development" and "major discoveries of drama cultural relics since the founding of New China".

Since the founding of New China, Chaozhou Opera has carried out a series of traditional repertoire inheritance activities.

The existing traditional dramas of Chaozhou opera can be roughly divided into two categories. The first category is the repertoire with high artistic level after processing and refining. Among them, the most representative plays are Li Jingji and Su six niang, and other plays include Sweeping the Window, Lulin Club, Debating Books, Noisy Wood, Sting, Noisy Kaifeng House.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Chaozhou opera was full of talented people, and old artists and new literary and art workers gathered together. Scholars in the society also paid great attention to Chaozhou opera. At that time, the arrangement and inheritance of tradition reached a peak. Experts and scholars have screened a large number of traditional plays, and most of the plays with refining value have been processed and become the classics and reserved plays of Chaozhou Opera. These plays have compact scripts, high ideas, elegant lyrics and high literary value; Music not only retains the tradition, but also incorporates new materials; Action design is closely connected with characterization, which retains the exquisite and elegant characteristics and unique performance procedures of Chaozhou opera.

In addition, a number of excellent new historical dramas have been compiled, such as Cilang Prefecture and Yuan Chonghuan.

In addition, the establishment of Jieyang Jiedong Xiao Meihua Chaozhou Opera Troupe and Guangdong Hua Xiaobai Chaozhou Opera Troupe have made great efforts to convey the artistic charm of ancient Chaozhou Opera to young people and achieved certain results. Among them, Xiao Meihua also hired Lin Shunqing, a famous Chaozhou opera actor, as a guide.

In addition, the cartoon tide drama developed by students of Hanshan Normal University has attracted many people's attention.

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Chaozhou Opera is a vivid example of the survival of China ancient operas on the stage, and it is one of the representatives of the excellent cultural expressions of the Chinese nation, with profound historical significance and high aesthetic value. After 1990, Chaozhou opera was restricted by the market economy and impacted by various modern literary forms, with reduced investment, brain drain and declining artistic level. Excellent traditional performing arts are on the verge of extinction and in a difficult state of development, which urgently needs protection and support.

The state attaches great importance to the protection of intangible cultural heritage. On May 20th, 2006, Chaozhou Opera was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. And established the "Guangdong Chaozhou Opera Development and Reform Foundation" in Guangzhou. On September 24th, 20 12, the 4th Chaozhou Opera Festival opened in Shantou, and Chaozhou Opera declared the representative list of human intangible cultural heritage to the United Nations.

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It is not only deeply loved by people in Chaozhou-speaking areas of Guangdong and Fujian, but also very popular and influential in Hongkong, Taiwan Province Province and Southeast Asia. It is a representative local opera. The artistic charm and cultural taste of Chaozhou opera are extremely important components of Chaozhou traditional culture. In order to carry forward Chaozhou culture, make Chaozhou opera bloom more brilliantly, and let everyone enjoy their hometown culture online, this is our unshirkable responsibility.

To annotate ...

See Xiao's folk drama Cong Kao.

(2) See General History of China Opera edited by Zhang Geng and Guo Hancheng.

(3) Cai Bojie, 1958, Amin's Tomb in Xizhai Village, Yuhu Commune, Jieyang County. * * * Five volumes were unearthed, three of which were destroyed after being unearthed. The codex Cai Boxiao consists of two volumes, one of which is the General Edition with 54 leaves. Japanese Book, 38 leaves. The essay has three leaves, a total of 95 leaves. "Overall" is the first half of the whole drama, from "high hall celebration" to "dross worry". The book Life is incomplete from Nanpu Farewell to A Watch.

Liu Qian Jin Bi Chai Ji 1975 12.23 was found in the Ming tomb where a couple were buried together in Xishanxi, Feng Tang Commune, Chaoan County. There are seventy-two leaves in the text, including sixty-seven leaves of drama (four leaves in the middle), one leaf of gongs and drums, one leaf of victory drums and seventy-five leaves of Sanqu. There are six years of Xuande in the middle of the text, and the last page has the words "June of Xuande Seven Years", which was written during Xuande years in Ming Dynasty.

⑧ ⑨ Liu Nianzi's New Evidence of Southern Opera.

⑥ Huang Shizhong's Preliminary Study on Cai Bo Pipa.