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Nanxi (theatre)
''Nanxi'' () or xiwen () was an early form of Chinese opera, developed from ancient traditions of mime, singing, and dancing during the Song dynasty in the 12th century. The name means literally "southern drama", and the form originated in the area around Wenzhou in southeastern China. Nanxi is an abbreviation of ''nanqu xiwen'' (南曲戲文, "Southern music theatre text") or ''nan xiwen''. ''Nanxi'' started as combinations of Song plays and local folk songs and ballads, using colloquial language with many scenes. Due to its coarse language, rough prosody, and unsophisticated literary style, ''Nanxi'' was considered a low art form during the Song and Yuan dynasties. However, its status was elevated with '' Tale of the Pipa'' written by Gao Ming, a play of better literary quality and more complex structure. It was highly regarded by the Ming Hongwu Emperor. By the middle of the Ming dynasty, ''Nanxi'' had developed into a more complex dramatic form known as '' chuanqi'', of whic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Chinese Opera
Traditional Chinese opera (), or ''Xiqu'', is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more than a thousand years, reaching its mature form in the 13th century, during the Song dynasty (960–1279 AD). Early forms of Chinese theater are simple; however, over time, various art forms such as music, song and dance, martial arts, acrobatics, costume and make-up art, as well as literary art forms were incorporated to form traditional Chinese opera. Performers had to practice for many years to gain an understanding of the roles. Exaggerated features and colors made it easier for the audience to identify the roles portrayed by the performers. There are over a hundred regional branches of traditional Chinese opera today. In the 20th century, the Peking opera emerged in popularity and has come to be known as the "national theatre" of China ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Dan Role
''Dan'' is the general name for female roles in Chinese opera, often referring to leading roles. They may be played by male or female actors. In the early years of Peking opera, all roles were played by men, but this practice is no longer common in any Chinese opera genre. Male ''dan'' actors Male actors who specialize in playing ''dan'' are referred to as ''nándàn'' (男旦); the practice arose during the Qing dynasty due to imperial prohibitions against women performing on stage, considered detrimental to public morality. This practice of female impersonation by male actors was led by Mei Lanfang, one of the most famous dan performers. In the early years of Peking opera, all roles were played by men. Wei Changsheng, a male performer in the Qing court, developed the , or "false foot" technique, to simulate the bound feet of women and the characteristic gait that resulted from the practice. In the late Qing dynasty and the early republic, the performance of actresses beca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
The Legend Of Wenlong
"The Legend of Wenlong" is an ancient folk story of Han Chinese origin, that was early on adopted by several people groups in Southern China including the Zhuang. It is also known by the name of the associated Chinese opera ''Liu Wenlong and the Water-chestnut Mirror''. It is now a traditional song of the Zhuang people that is sung at the Dragon Boat Festival in some places. 'The lost Nanxi opera version of ''Liu Wenlong and the Water-chestnut Mirror'' is the source of the versions found among the Zhuang, Dong, Buyi, Maonan and Mulao peoples of Southern China.' The story has at least an 800-year-old history and remains a form of cultural entertainment to this day both as a traditional Zhuang opera and within a number of Chinese opera adaptations. Origin and lost Nanxi version In 16th century Ming dynasty the famous painter, poet, writer and dramatist Xu Wei mentions "The Legend of Wenlong" in a list of 65 12th century Song dynasty Nanxi operas under the title ''刘文龙菱 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
