Kun Opera

Kun Opera是中國古老的歌劇。

Kun qu is one of the oldest operas in China, and it is also one of the treasures of Chinese traditional culture and art. Kun qu integrates singing, dialogue, acting, acrobatics, dancing and material arts. It is praised as “the origin of all operas” for its elegant tunes and lines, melodious aria and delicate performance.

In 2001, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) proclaimed Kun qu as a masterpiece of “the oral and intangible heritage of humanity.”

基本介紹

• 中文名：崑曲
• 外文名：Kunqu
• Category：Traditional Chinese operas
• Region：Peking ,Shanghai ,Jiangsu ,Zhejiang
• Time：2006
• ICH No：Ⅳ-1
• ICH level：World-class
• Cradle：Kunshan City, Suzhou

歷史發展

Kun qu originated in the late period of the Yuan Dynasty (Mid-14century) around the area of Kunshan City, Suzhou. At the beginning, the arias of Kunshan melodies were just folk tunes at the beginning and spread only in Suzhou. In the Wanli era, Kun qu started to reach other places south of the Yangtze River and north of the Qiantang River from Suzhou. It finally reached Peking in the late times of the Wanli era. Then, Kunshan melody became the most influential genre of operas from the middle of the Ming Dynasty to the middle of the Qing Dynasty.

藝術特色

The greatest features of Kun qu include strong lyricism, delicate acting and harmonious combination of singing and dancing. Kun qu is an integrated art that integrates multiple means of performance such as singing, dancing, emotional expression and speaking. With the long-term development of performing operas, simultaneous singing and dancing becomes a feature of Kun qu, especially illustrated by body movements. Body movements in Kun qu can be categorized into two types: one includes exaggerated postures when speaking and dancing movements developed from gestures that emphasize on telling stories. The other is lyrical dancing with lyrics which is masterly dancing as well as efficientmeans to show the quality of characters and the meaning of operas.

經典劇目

During the long-term practice, Kun qu has accumulated an abundant repertoire, some of which are quite influential and frequently performed:The Roaring Phoenixwritten by Wang Shizhen, The Peony Pavilion, The PurpleHairpin, Record of Handan, and Record of Southern Boughwritten by Tang Xianzu, The Jade Pin written by Gao Lian,The Kite written by Li Yu, Fifteen Strings of Cashwritten by Zhu Suchen, The Peach Blossom Fanwritten by Kong Shangren, The Palace of Eternal Youthwritten by Hong Sheng. In addition, there are some famous opera highlights such asA Walk in the GardenandThe Interruption of ADream(these two acts were grouped as a single act in the original text), Yangguan, Getting drunk for Three Times, Qiujiang, Yearning for Earthly Life, Broken Bridgeand etc.

知名藝術家

Wei Liangfu

Wei Liangfu, whose courtesy name is Shangquan, was from Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. He lived around the area near the southern dock of Taicang, Jiangsu Province. Wei was a eminent dramatist dedicated to drama renovation and he is the founder of Kun qu(South Opera). He made great contributions to Kunshan melody so that he was regarded as “the ancestor of Kun qu”, and even named as “the greatest of the Chinese Operas”by folk art circles.

Tang Xianzu

Tang is a dramatist and a litterateurof the Ming Dynasty, whose courtesy name is Yireng, and literary names are Hairuo, Ruoshi, Qingyuan. He is of Han nationality and a native of Linchuan, Jiangxi Province. In terms of his works, he opposed sticking to ancient ways or restrained by metrical rules. His masterpieces include The Peony Pavilion, Record of Handan, Record of Southern Boughand The PurpleHairpinwhich are collectively called the Four Dreamsof Linchuan. Among these four operas, The Peony Pavilion is the most famous one. During the history of Chinese operas, he enjoys the same reputationwith Guan Hanqing and Wang Shifu. They all play very important roles in the literary history of China even of the whole world. He is praised as “Shakespeare in the East”.