Chinese contemporary classical opera (Chinese: 当今古典歌剧; ''dāngjīn gŭdiăn gējù''; "contemporary classical opera") is a musical art form drawing on western opera traditions - distinct from modern developments of traditional Chinese opera. One of the first western-style operas was ''

The White Haired Girl ''The White-Haired Girl'' () is a Chinese opera, ballet, (later adapted to Beijing Opera and a film) by Yan Jinxuan to a Chinese libretto by He Jingzhi and Ding Yi. The folklore of the white-haired girl is believed to have spread widely in the a ...

'' (1940). Chinese-language western-style opera is to be distinguished the

Revolutionary opera In People's Republic of China (1949–), revolutionary operas or model operas (Simplified Chinese: ''yangban xi'', 样板戏) were a series of shows planned and engineered during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) by Jiang Qing, the wife of ...

s of the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...

such as ''

Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy ''Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy'' ( Chinese: 智取威虎山; pinyin: zhì qǔ wēi hǔ shān) is a Peking opera play and one of the eight model plays allowed during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The plot is based on parts of the popular ...

'' which were mainly an adaption of

Peking opera Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became fully developed and recognize ...

with

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

text and subjects, with some influence from

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

musical theatre. The 1950s-70s saw several patriotic socialist operas, such as ''

Red Guards on Honghu Lake ''Red Guards on Honghu Lake'' (Chinese: 洪湖赤卫队) is a Chinese modern opera in six acts. It was first performed in October 1956 in Wuhan, Hubei by the Hubei Experimental Theater Society (湖北省实验歌剧团). It is set in Honghu, Hube ...

'' (1956). Modern operas with a continuation of "realist" socialist elements include ''

A Village Teacher ''A Village Teacher'' (Chinese: 山村女教师) is a 2009 Chinese-language western-style opera by composer Hao Weiya to a libretto by Liu Heng. Liu is well known for the scripts to films like ''Ju Dou ''Ju Dou'' () is a 1990 film directed b ...

'' (2009). China has several separate ''geju'' companies under the Ministry of Culture, parallel with the traditional Chinese opera companies. The most prestigious are the Beijing-based central ''geju-yuan'' China National Opera House troupe (CNOH), and the Shanghai-based

Shanghai Opera House Shanghai Opera House (; Shanghainese: ''Zånhae Kujihyoe'') is the official government-funded western-style opera company of Shanghai, China, and the resident opera company at the new Shanghai Grand Theatre (上海大剧院 ''Shanghai Da Juyuan ...

company. In each case the term "Opera House," ''geju-yuan'', refers to the institute or company, not to a fixed building or theatre. The street addresses of both companies are merely administrative offices and rehearsal rooms. Other notable geju companies around China include the Liaoning geju yuan, based in Shenyang and others. The status of ''geju'' has been boosted by availability of new world-class venues such as the

China's National Centre for the Performing Arts The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) (), and colloquially described as The Giant Egg (巨蛋), is an arts centre containing an opera house in the Xicheng District of Beijing, China, People's Republic of China. Designed by French arch ...

in Beijing ("The Big Egg" on Tiananmen Square East) and the new

Shanghai Grand Theatre The Shanghai Grand Theater () is a complex located at the intersection of Central Boulevard and Huangpi Road South in the northern part of the People's Square in the Huangpu District of Shanghai. The building houses the Shanghai Opera House ...

. Since its opening in 2009

CHNCPA The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) (), and colloquially described as The Giant Egg (巨蛋), is an arts centre containing an opera house in the Xicheng District of Beijing, People's Republic of China. Designed by French architect P ...

has staged operas such as ''

Xi Shi Xi Shi (Hsi Shih; , ) was, according to legends, one of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China. She was said to have lived during the end of the Spring and Autumn period in Zhuji, the capital of the ancient State of Yue. In traditional ...

'' and ''

'' in 2009, ''

The Chinese Orphan ''The Chinese Orphan'' (Chinese: 赵氏孤儿) is a 2011 Chinese-language western-style opera Chinese contemporary classical opera (Chinese: 当今古典歌剧; ''dāngjīn gŭdiăn gējù''; "contemporary classical opera") is a musical art form d ...

'' in 2011, and the folk-opera ''

The Ballad of Canal ''The Ballad of heCanal'' or ''The Canal Ballad'' (Chinese: 运河谣) is a 2012 opera by composer Yin Qing based on Chinese folk music. The libretto was supplied by playwrights Huang Weiruo and Dong Ni and celebrates the story of the Beijing- ...

'' in 2012. The Shanghai Grand Theatre has similarly staged Chinese-language ''geju'' of the Shanghai Opera House company along with Italian, French and German-language operas.

List of works

The following includes some operas which are considered closer to the Chinese opera traditional model than ''geju'' or western opera.

Experimental period, 1945-1956

* 1945 -

Ma Ke (composer) Ma Ke (; 1918 – July 27, 1976) was a Chinese composer and musicologist, best known for his patriotic songs, including "Nanniwan". Ma was born into a Christian family, at Xuzhou, Jiangsu, and his name was said to be derived from the saint Mark. ...

et al. ''

White-Haired Girl ''The White-Haired Girl'' () is a Chinese opera, ballet, (later adapted to Beijing Opera and a film) by Yan Jinxuan to a Chinese libretto by He Jingzhi and Ding Yi. The folklore of the white-haired girl is believed to have spread widely in the ...

'' at

Yan'an Yan'an (; ), alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several counties, including Zhidan (formerly Bao'an) ...

Lu Xun Art Academy After founding of the PRC, 1949: * 1954 -

Chen Zi Chen Zi (陈紫, Huiyang, 1919–1999) was a Chinese composer. He was one of the composers at the original revolutionary Lu Xun Academy in Yan'an and one of the collaborators assisting Ma Ke in composition of 1945's ''The White-Haired Girl''. Amon ...

, Mao Yuan and Ge Guangrui: ''

Liu Hulan Liu Hulan (刘胡兰, 1932–1947) was a young female spy during the Chinese Civil War between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. She was born in Yunzhouxi village, in the Wenshui County of the Shanxi province. She joined the Communist P ...

'' 《刘胡兰》 Central Experimental Xin-geju Academy, Beijing * - Ma Ke: ''Xiao'erhei jiehun'' * 1955 -

Luo Zongxian Luo Zongxian (罗宗贤, born Baoding Baoding (), formerly known as Baozhou and Qingyuan, is a prefecture-level city in central Hebei province, approximately southwest of Beijing. As of the 2010 census, Baoding City had 11,194,382 inhabitant ...

: '' Caoyuan zhi ge'' 《草原之歌》 "Song of the Prairies"

Second wave, 1956-1966

A second wave followed National Music Week, 1956, which lasted till the last geju ''Ayiguli'' in 1966 on the eve of the Cultural Revolution. * 1956 -

and

Liang Kexiang Liang may refer to: Chinese history * Liang (state) (梁) (8th century BC – 641 BC), a Spring and Autumn period state * Wei (state) (403–225 BC), a Warring States period state, also known as Liang (梁) after moving its capital to Daliang * ...

: ''

Spring Blossoms Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...

'' ''Yingchunhua kaile'' (libretto by Lu Cang, Wang Lie) * 1956 - Du Yu: Mongolian themed folk opera ''

The Gada plum blossoms ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' based on the Mongolian folk song ''Gada meilin'' * 1958 - Zhang Rui (composer): '' Rosy Clouds'' ''Hong xia'' (libretto by Shi Han) * 1958 -

Shu Tiemin Shu may refer to: China * Sichuan, China, officially abbreviated as Shu (蜀) * Shu (state) (conquered by Qin in 316 BC), an ancient state in modern Sichuan * Shu Han (221–263) during the Three Kingdoms Period * Western Shu (405–413), also ...

and Ceng Fangke: '' The Red-cloud Cliff'' ''Hongyun ya'' (libretto by Liang Shangquan, Lu Peng, Jiang Shengtao, Su Mei) * 1958 -

Zhang Dinghe Zhang Dinghe (张定和, Hefei, 1916–2011) was a Chinese composer and conductor. He composed the music for the 1958 opera ''The Tale of Huai Yin ''The Tale of Huai Yin'' (槐荫记) is a 1958 Chinese-language western-style opera by Zhang Ding ...

: ''

The Tale of Huai Yin ''The Tale of Huai Yin'' (槐荫记) is a 1958 Chinese-language western-style opera by Zhang Dinghe (张定和). It was part of the second wave of enthusiasm for ''geju'' on the eve of the 1966 beginning of the Cultural Revolution The Cult ...

'' ''Huai Yin ji'' (libretto by Lu Su, Huang Cengjiu, Guan Taiping) * 1959 - Zhang Jing'an: '' Honghu Chiweidui'' "Red Guards of Lake Hong Hu",

Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the ninth-most populous Chinese city an ...

* 1959 - Shi Lemeng: '' Two Women of the Red Army'' ''Liangge nv hongjun'' (libretto by Chen Qitong) * 1959 - Zhuang Ying and Lu Ming: ''

Keshan hong ri ''Keshan Hong Ri'' (《柯山红日》"Red Sun over Mount Ke") is a 1959 six-act Chinese-language western-style opera produced by the Opera Troupe of the People's Liberation Army's General Political Department. The music was composed by Zhuang Yin ...

'' "Red Sun over Mount Ke" PLA Opera Troupe * 1960 - Wang Xiren and Hu Shiping: '' Hong Shanhu'' "Red Coral" libretto by Zhao Zhong, PLA Opera Troupe - also filmed by Wang Shaoyan director of the film ''Red Coral'' (1961) * 1960 -

and Du Yu: ''Dou E Yuan'' based on the play '' The Grievances of Dou E'', also known as "Snow in Summer" * 1960 -

and Du Yu: Doushi Ting "The Poem Contest Pavilion" * 1961 -

and Du Yu: '' Chun Lei'' "Spring Thunder" * 1962 -

Zheng Lucheng Zheng may refer to: *Zheng (surname), Chinese surname (鄭, 郑, ''Zhèng'') *Zheng County, former name of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, China * Guzheng (), a Chinese zither with bridges *Qin Shi Huang (259 BC – 210 BC), emperor of the Qin Dynasty ...

: '' Longing for Husband Cloud'' (libretto by Xu Jiarui) * 1962 - Collective work: ''

Liu Sanjie Liu Sanjie () was a Chinese folk music singer, who is the Liu family's third daughter, with an original name of Liu Shanhua. Liu is a legendary figure of Zhuang people in Guangxi and her songs were melodious and touching, therefore she was du ...

'', filmed as "Third Sister Liu" the same year. * 1964 -

Ge Guangrui Ge Guangrui (葛光锐, Shanghai, 1929) is a Chinese composer. His best known opera is ''We have our own successors'' (Chinese: 自有後来人 ''Zi you houlai ren''). He also worked on Chen Zi's 1954 opera Liu Hulan Liu Hulan (刘胡兰, 1932– ...

: ''

Zi you houlai ren Zi or ZI may refer to: * Zi (surname) (子), a surname used by Shang kings * Zi (title) (子), a Chinese honorific used for ancient viscounts and for master philosophers * Zi (name) (字), an alternate term for East Asian courtesy names * Zi (cu ...

"We have our own successors"'' * 1964 - Zhang Yu (composer): '' Red Plum-Blossom Ridge'' ''Hongmei Ling'', film version 1965 * 1964 -

: '' Chunfeng yangliu'' "Willows in the spring breeze" * 1964 - Yang Ming (composer) and

Jiang Chunyang Jiang may refer to: * ''Jiang'' (rank), rank held by general officers in the military of China * Jiang (surname), several Chinese surnames **Jiang Zemin (1926–2022), as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party *Jiang River, an ancient ri ...

: '' Jiang Jie'' "Sister Jiang" - libretto by Yan Su * 1965 - Du Yu: '' Ren huan ma jiao'' "A busy country scene" * 1966 -

Shi Fu Shi or SHI may refer to: Language * ''Shi'', a Japanese title commonly used as a pronoun * ''Shi'', proposed gender-neutral pronoun * Shi (kana), a kana in Japanese syllabaries * Shi language * ''Shī'', transliteration of Chinese Radical 44 ...

and

Wusi Manjiang The May Fourth Movement was a Chinese anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement which grew out of student protests in Beijing on May 4, 1919. Students gathered in front of Tiananmen (The Gate of Heavenly Peace) to protest the Chinese ...

: '' Ayiguli'' * 1966 - Mao Yuan and Ma Fei: '' Nanhai Changcheng "The Great Wall of the South Seas"

1966-1976 Cultural Revolution

1977 onward

* ''Flower-Guardian'' (1979) * ''Peng Dehuai Sits on the Sedan Chair'' (1980) * 1980 - Wang Shiguang and Cai Kexiang: '' Di yibai ge xinniang'' "The Hundredth Bride" * 1981 -

Shi Guangnan Shi Guangnan ( Chinese: 施光南; August 22, 1940 in Chongqing Municipality, China – May 2, 1990) was a Chinese composer, best known for his patriotic and nationalistic songs from the Cultural Revolution era that combined traditional mel ...

: ''Shangshi'' "Mourning" - a folk opera based on a story by

Lu Xun Zhou Shuren (25 September 1881 – 19 October 1936), better known by his pen name Lu Xun (or Lu Sun; ; Wade–Giles: Lu Hsün), was a Chinese writer, essayist, poet, and literary critic. He was a leading figure of modern Chinese literature. ...

*The Youth of Today (1982) *The Wedding Sonata (1983) *The Homeland (1984) * 1983 - Wang Zujie and Zhang Zhuoya: ''

Fangcaoxin ''Fangcaoxin'' (芳草心 "Fangfang, heart of grass") is a 1983 Chinese-language western-style opera or musical, and 1986 film. It was filmed as ''Fangcaoxin'' in 1986, and appears listed in some sources by an English title "The Passion and the L ...

'' "Fangfang, heart of grass", first performance Nanjing, Frontline Song and Dance Troupe. * 1987 -

Jin Xiang Jin Xiang (20 April 1935 – 23 December 2015) was a Chinese composer and conductor. He studied composition at the China Central Conservatory from 1954. In 1959 he received his Bachelor of Arts in Composition.

: 原野 '' The Savage Land'' based on the play by

Cao Yu Cao Yu (, September 24, 1910 — December 13, 1996) was a Chinese playwright, often regarded as one of China's most important of the 20th century. His best-known works are ''Thunderstorm'' (1933), ''Sunrise'' (1936) and ''Peking Man'' (1940). ...

. * 1995 - Xu Zhanhai (徐占海 b.1945): '' Cangyuan'' "broad grasslands" Liaoning Geju Yuan, Shenyang production * 2006 - Mo Fan: 雷雨 '' Thunderstorm (opera)'' - based on Cao Yu's play ''

Thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are some ...

'' * 2008 -

Xiao Bai Xiao Bai (萧白; Liaoning Province, July 1932) is a Chinese conductor and composer. He is an ethnic Manchu. In the West, he is best known for his opera ''Farewell My Concubine'', which toured America with the CNOH in 2008.Farewell My Concubine'' * 2009 - Lei Lei: 《西施》''

'' to a libretto by Zou Jingzhi * 2009 - Hao Weiya: 《山村女教师》''

'' * 2011 - Lei Lei:《赵氏孤儿》''

'' * 2012 - Yin Qing: 《运河谣》'' Yunheyao'' "Ballad of Canal" * 2012 - Xu Zhanhai and others, '' Diaoyucheng'' - based on the story of Chongqing's

Diaoyu Fortress The Diaoyucheng (), or Diaoyu Fortress, is a fortress located on the Diaoyu Mountain in Heyang Town, Hechuan District, Chongqing. It is known for its resistance to the Mongol armies in the latter half of the Song dynasty. History The deat ...

* 2014 -

Guo Wenjing Guo Wenjing (born 1 February 1956, in Chongqing) is a Chinese composer and educator. Guo Wenjing is a contemporary Chinese composer. Unlike many Chinese composers who have studied and lived in other countries, he has only studied in Beijing. He ...

:《骆驼祥子》''

Rickshaw Boy ''Rickshaw Boy'' or ''Camel Xiangzi'' () is a novel by the Chinese author Lao She about the life of a fictional Beijing rickshaw man. It is considered a classic of 20th-century Chinese literature. History Lao She began the novel in spring, 1 ...

'' * 2014 - Lei Lei: 《冰山上的来客》''

Visitors on the Icy Mountain ''Visitors on the Icy Mountain'' () is a 1963 Chinese film directed by Zhao Xinshui to a script by Bai Xin. The film is famous for its songs such as "Why Are the Flowers So Red", featuring the rawap and music of the Tajiks of Xinjiang The Taji ...

'' after the 1963 film * 2015 -

: 《日出》''

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology A ...

'' after the 1936 play by

Taiwan

Tenor William Wu (吴文修) directed 《万里长城》The Great Wall with music by Yang Yao-chang (楊耀章) and a libretto by Pi Kuo (碧果). Premiered by the Taiwan Metropolitan Opera (首都歌劇團) 1993, cross-straits production 1995. Republic of China Yearbook 1999 - Page 366 Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group - 2000 "And the Taiwan Metropolitan Opera has introduced local audiences to such works as Madame Butterfly. Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci. One of its biggest sensations has been The Great Wall, a Western-style opera sung in Chinese and telling a Chinese story, performed in 1993. Wu is working on a second historical Chinese opera, based on the story of Liao Tien-ting..."

References

{{Opera topics * Opera in China