Xiqu and modernisation: the transformations of the Chinese traditional theatre in the process of social formation of modern China.

There is an inherent sociality and collectivity in the theatre. Theatrical activities, like other cultural productions, involve a great many elements seeping through, in and out and between the theatrical institutions and other vectors of the social space. Theatre is both a result of and simultaneously one of the many constitutive factors in the process of social formation. This thesis examines the conventions of xiqu and its transformations in relation to the modernisation in China since the second half of the 19th Century. The introduction of Western theatre architecture in the last decade of the 19th Century in Chinese cities was probably the most important catalyst for the metamorphosis of xiqu into its present form. The changed parameters of the newly constructed theatres injected new possibilities into productions and changed the theatrical consciousness of the audience. The jingju form provides a particular case in point. It was initially developed into a distinctive regional xiqu as a consequence of the merging of a number of existing regional forms, the performances of which in the capital were only made possible by modern communications and transportation. Its subsequent popularity in the principal cities was inseparable from its development in the modern theatres. The cinema was introduced to China at about the same time as Western theatre architecture. Xiqu films were first produced as records of performances to extend the commercial possibilities of the xiqu market. As film language improved in its refinement and aesthetic grammar, cinematic aesthetics took over and xiqu films started to take another direction. As more features of its stage aesthetics were replaced by camera treatment, xiqu films ceased to be a genre of xiqu and became instead a genre of cinema. This clear-cut distinction was especially obvious in the xiqu films produced in Hong Kong, where market forces were relentlessly fierce. Nowadays xiqu is facing the same challenges as all other theatre forms in the globalised market-place. To survive it must find a way to remain competitive and commercially viable. At the same time, it must rediscover its artistic edge by offering experimental and innovative productions in order to make itself artistically relevant and attractive to its contemporary audience

Return of the Soul: Inheritance and Innovation in the Process of Artistic Creation in Major Kunqu Productions in the People’s Republic of China, 2001-2015

Ph.D

The Impact of Japanese Shinpa on Early Chinese Huaju

This dissertation explores the intercultural forces that affected the formation of wenmingxi (civilized drama), China's first Western-style theatre that flourished in Shanghai in the 1910s, following the 1907 production of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by the Chinese student group the Spring Willow Society (Chunliu She) in Tokyo. In contrast to huaju (spoken drama), the present form of Western theatre in China, which came into existence in the 1920s through a whole-sale importation, wenmingxi adopted a localized approach by mixing Western drama, shinpa (new school drama, the first Western-style Japanese theatre), and traditional Chinese theatre. Based on primary sources as well as recent historical and theoretical studies from China, Japan, and the West, my dissertation focuses on the ideological, dramaturgical, and theatrical transformation wenmingxi brought to Chinese theatre.The study is divided into four chapters and an introduction, which lays out previous research on this topic and my theoretical framework. Chapter One presents a historical review of wenmingxi, from early Western theatrical productions in Shanghai by expatriates and students of missionary and other schools, through Spring Willow's productions in Tokyo, and finally to the rise and fall of wenmingxi in Shanghai in the 1910s. Chapter Two examines the role of nationalism in the emergence of speech-based theatre in Japan and China around the turn of the twentieth century when political instability and fear of national peril largely accounted for both the political focus of early wenmingxi and its continued nationalist content even during its brief commercial success in the mid 1910s. Chapter Three focuses on wenmingxi dramaturgy by tracing the intercultural transformation of several representative plays. It deals with three topics: the use of scripted plays vs. scenarios, adaptation vs. translation of European and shinpa plays, and melodrama as the emblematic dramatic mode for a society in transition. Finally, Chapter Four examines wenmingxi's localization of the theatrical institution—especially in the realm of performance—between the poles of "free acting," Western naturalism, and native theatrical conventions such as singing and female impersonation

CHINA’S MUSICAL REVOLUTION: FROM BEIJING OPERA TO YANGBANXI

This study seeks to investigate the modern derivative of Beijing opera, known as yangbanxi, through macro and micro approaches. The first part of the thesis surveys the development of Beijing opera under the historical context and in its social, political, and cultural perspectives. The second part, taking a microscopic perspective, undertakes an in-depth analysis of the compositions that were solely created by composer Yu Huiyong. First, it assays the application of Yu’s theory to his compositions of various Beijing opera arias. Second, it analyzes Yu’s instrumental music in compositional dimensions such as material, structure, and techniques, considering the larger implications of Yu’s approach. Third, it explores the highly acclaimed opera Azalea Mountain as a case study, integrating compositional analysis and sociopolitical perspective in order to give a relatively full picture of Yu’s final work as sole composer. The analysis also focuses on three aspects of the yangbanxi. The first aspect is the role of composers, in which Yu Huiyong was largely responsible for shaping the musical language and influencing the direction of Beijing opera. The second aspect is the role of politics, focusing on Jiang Qing, who had a clear vision to transform Beijing opera along revolutionary lines and the artistic and political wherewithal to implement that transformation. The third aspect is the role of culture in shaping society, with an emphasis on yangbanxi, as the artistic centerpiece of the Cultural Revolution, and special consideration is given to its role in creating a new mass culture. Beijing opera, as a living art form, had been undergoing a process of modernization throughout the first half of the twentieth century, but it was Yu Huiyong who clearly articulated what needed to be done to make the traditional art form relevant to modern audiences. In particular, the most significant achievement of yangbanxi was its music development, which achieved a new height in artistic development thanks to Yu Huiyong’s fully constructed music theory and newly established music and performance system. As the main composer, designer, theorist, and organizer of yangbanxi, Yu Huiyong made the greatest contribution to these developments. His academic research laid the theoretical framework of the further development of opera music, and his hands-on practice and music innovation provided valuable experience for the younger generation

Chinese piano music: an approach to performance

Since the piano was introduced in China, in the nineteenth century, many Chinese composers have composed specifically for it. As a result of greater communication and cultural exchange between East and West, Western pianists have begun including Chinese piano pieces in their repertoire. This paper will suggest approaches for the pianist to gain a greater understanding of Chinese piano music. These approaches will include a detailed analysis of each piece, addressing cultural aspects pertinent to an understanding of the music, as well as compositional background, harmony, texture, and piano technique. In addition, each piece will be provided with suggestions intended to assist the Western performer in the achievement of a more authentic performance

Mei Lan-fang: the Masculinist Idealization of Femininity

Mei Lan-fang was the most well-known Beijing Opera practitioner specializing in the impersonation of historical and mythological female characters. His captivating performance style is known as “The School of Mei”. It balances the external stage presence and internal precision and attends to the minutiae. His performances were drawn predominantly from the classic repertoire, and they have won him the position that “no other Chinese actor attained and retained” (Scott ii). Despite the general perception of Mei’s contribution to the emancipation of women through his work and his self-assertion of sympathy towards their suffering, the underlying motivation may not be as simple and honorable. Assessing the artist through his performance repository, his working process, and his personal life, the author of the paper is profoundly disturbed by the antithesis and paradox manifested through his stance on feminism. Consciously or subconsciously, Mei Lan-fang was very particular about the role types and the selection of his repertoire. This renowned female impersonator exhibited a clear predilection for depicting the “ideal women”. He either purposefully eschewed female characters of questionable reputations and vicious qualities or reinvested them as females of impeccable virtue. Furthermore, Mei Lan-fang had no tolerance for blemishes in either temperament or comportment for his parts, submitting to neither the truthful ethos nor veritable historical presence. Through constant refinement in the years of continuous revival, Mei Lan-fang resculpted the figurines into national inamoratas with outstanding beauty, whim, and virtues. These glamourized puppets and their sweeping international influence consolidate his egoistic misinterpretation of oriental feminity and come to be celebrated as live scriptures for daughters, wives, and mothers. Mei Lan-fang’s insistence on patriarchal dominance evinced through polygamy, his ill-fated wives, and deliberate avoidance of their contribution confirms superiority at play and exploitation at the heart, which overthrows the false advocacy of fair treatment and gender equality