The Historical Significance of Peking Opera and Its Reasons for Rise and Fall

1790 (Qianlong 55 years), in order to give Aisingiorro, the seventh emperor of the Qing Dynasty? Li Hong, the 80th birthday of Emperor Qianlong, was recommended by eunuchs to go to Beijing to perform for Qianlong. What was brought at that time was not authentic Peking Opera, but traditional Anhui Opera. After Huiban entered Beijing, during the period of 1840 ~ 1860 (from the 20th year of Qing Daoguang to the last year of Xianfeng), Huizhou Opera absorbed a large number of achievements of various opera arts popular in Beijing at that time, such as Kunqu Opera, Han Opera, Peking Opera and Shaanxi Opera, and at the same time, it was subtly influenced by local cultures such as Beijing language and customs, and gradually formed new operas. The novelty of this capital soon became the new pastime of the flag bearer. At that time, the theater was called "box office" in Beijing and "Huang Er" in Peking Opera. Going there to listen to Beijing opera is called "playing with tickets", and the fans who play with tickets are "ticket friends" The flag people gathered in the ticket offices of Cuifeng Temple, Suzhou Palace, Grand Palace, Yan Lehui and other places, and were as obsessed with their favorite artists and their aria as fans now. Therefore, Beijing opera gradually exudes a lazy and enchanting spirit, which has been circulating. Second, the rise and fall of Peking Opera

During Guangxu period (65438+ 1980s and 1990s), Peking Opera reached its first development peak. In the imperial court, Peking Opera was the comfort of Emperor Guangxu, who was disheartened and listened to politics under the curtain. He plays the drums very well. Guangxu's biological father kept a troupe called Enqing Keban in the yamen, and he was addicted to it all day. Powerful emperors and princes and nobles are famous opera fans.

Cixi, who has been in power for half a century, is the biggest opera fan among flag bearers. She often spends a lot of money on banquets and invites the most famous troupe to debut. Even eunuch Li voted for Cixi. She practiced her singing hard, not losing her singing skills to the famous actresses at that time, but also knowing how to observe color, and soon became a palace celebrity. Cixi likes to watch Tan Xinpei, the founder of Tan School. He was the most outstanding actor in Beijing Opera at that time. On average, he always goes to the palace to perform two or three times a week. Once Cixi watched him play "Cuiping Mountain" in the palace. As soon as she was happy, she gave him a four-level official.

Cixi is very knowledgeable and professional in watching plays, and often requires artists to change their plays, make up words and match sounds, which also forces artists to constantly adapt to and innovate Peking Opera. Since the ninth year of Guangxu, Cixi has successively selected Yang Longshou, Li Shunting, Sun Juxian, Shi,, and Chen Deshuang. Later, a large number of famous figures such as Wang Guifen, Wang Yaoqing and Yang Xiaolou were sent to the palace to perform and give lectures. Excellent folk artists enter the palace to undertake business, and top celebrities perform on the same stage, which naturally pushes Beijing opera to an unprecedented height. Because the palace likes it, it leads people inside and outside the imperial court to sing and listen to Beijing opera. At that time, there was a saying that "who is in charge of the rise and fall of state affairs, the whole city is arguing, called Tianer." You can imagine the situation when all the people are playing.

The second climax of the development of Peking Opera began with the appearance of "Four Famous Dances" in the 1920s and 1930s. Ironically, this unprecedented artistic peak in the history of Peking Opera came in the crisis that Peking Opera was severely criticized by the cultural elite at that time.

Beijing opera has become the target of the "New Culture Movement". Among the critical voices calling for the elimination of Chinese opera, one person's voice is particularly harsh and far-reaching. He is Lu Xun. Lu Xun didn't like Peking Opera very much when he was a child. During the 20 years from 1902 to 1922, he always watched Peking Opera twice, leaving him with the impression that it was nothing more than banging and dangling, a large group of people fighting and two or three people fighting. Lu Xun didn't even admit that Peking Opera was a play, thinking that it was just a "100% style" of "playing tricks". Mei Lanfang's Flowers Scattered in the Sky and Flowers Buried by Daiyu were criticized by Lu Xun as "too elegant", so they were revised or stopped.

At the peak of this criticism of traditional Chinese opera, other literati who are familiar with traditional Chinese opera began to defend it. During the period of 19 18, the controversy about "old playing bones" was published in New Youth. However, due to the unequal strength, this debate looks more like a big criticism of Beijing opera, leaving the impression that Beijing opera is about to die. Hu Shi, the standard-bearer of the New Culture Movement, ended this one-sided debate with an article entitled "Cultural Evolution Concept and Drama Improvement".

This crisis of cultural criticism has a great influence on the intelligentsia, but has little influence on the audience. Your criticism belongs to criticism, the actors follow suit and the audience is in charge. During the period of 1927, the "Best Actor of the First Peking Opera" was held in Shuntian Times, Beijing, and Mei Lanfang, Shang Xiaoyun, Cheng and Xun Huisheng were elected, which was known as the "Four Famous Dances" of Peking Opera. That stage was also the golden age of Chinese Peking Opera. Around 1930s, there was a trend of holding roles in tea gardens and theaters in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai. From the president to the people, actors are everywhere. There are officials, people and corner groups. At that time, the Mei Party dedicated to Mei Lanfang was the best.

If the changes of the times have carved visible scratches on Beijing Opera, then the way artists constantly change their artistic expression to adapt to the turbulent times is to eventually destroy the intangible internal injuries of art everywhere.

19 1 1 year, the revolution of 1911 began, and the banner of democracy and harmony inspired the youth of the whole country. In order to change their humble social and political status, many artists joined the revolution. At the same time, they attach great importance to the propaganda function of drama, trying to enlighten the people through drama and save the country through drama. They moved the local current affairs and political events at that time, all the truth or stories that can arouse your interest in the revolution to the opera. They are eager to express their political views and have created a large number of new plays. This kind of preaching on the stage violated the laws of art, so it didn't take long to disappear. Because literature and art are not politics after all. This artistic expression born out of politics, like a short-lived revolution, is fleeting, and many actors are lost and separated.

During the Anti-Japanese War, famous actors with savings stopped acting, and some actors were forced by life to act for the Japanese in power. After the end of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, they became traitors. Most of the actors in the corner can only change careers one after another. At the end of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, only Mei Lanfang, Yang Xiaolou and Yu Shuyan were still alive. Mei Lanfang, Shang Xiaoyun, Cheng and Xun Huisheng all gained weight when they reappeared in everyone's field of vision. Everyone says you are really four famous "eggs". "Later, Cheng laughed, and Xun Huisheng laughed. In this way, celebrities born in one generation have exhausted their youth in the turmoil of another era.

1949, the Ministry of Culture of the Central People's Government established the Drama Improvement Bureau. In July of the following year, the Ministry of Culture specially invited representatives of the drama industry and the head of the Drama Improvement Bureau to form the "Drama Improvement Committee", as the highest advisory body of the "Drama Reform", and ordered a series of traditional plays to be banned or modified. 195 1 year, China Opera Research Institute was established, and Mao Zedong wrote an inscription: Let a hundred flowers blossom and bring forth the new. From 65438 to 0956, the Peking Opera Workers' Federation was established in Beijing, and then the China Peking Opera Theatre and the Beijing Peking Opera Theatre were built, and they watched performances every year. 1958, the Peking Opera circle shouted the slogan that 300 plays will be produced a year, including 200 revolutionary modern plays. Ludang kindling, Raise the Red Lantern, White-haired Girl and Hai Rui from Office appeared one after another. 1959, Mei Lanfang released Mu Guiying. Forum, France, Leia, China and France.

After the founding of New China, literature and art, including Peking Opera, were endowed with more meanings and meanings, but gradually drifted away from art ... At almost the same stage, Peking Opera masters left us one after another.

1958, Cheng died of heart disease.

196 1 year, Mei Lanfang died of a heart attack. In Leia, France, J 1966, the home of students studying in France, the horse died of heart disease.

1968, Xun Huisheng died of a heart attack caused by criticism.

1976 In the spring, Shang Xiaoyun died of a heart attack. |4u。 D0p*q4GW5R

With the death of a famous actress, the "corner" era of Chinese Peking Opera came to an end. Only a series of peerless audio-visual works are left for future generations to pay tribute to. /f？ kz= 18 1642256