Since it is art, just like all kinds of art, influenced by talent and diligence, it is impossible for all practitioners to become masters, and there will be no masters. Since art is influenced by culture, cultivation and region, it is impossible for everyone to understand it at first sight and at once, otherwise art will not become art, and there has never been an art that everyone can understand and like at all times and in all countries.
Why do you say that only a few intellectuals like Beijing opera? In my opinion, it is normal to like Beijing opera or not. It is normal for some people to like Beijing opera, and it is more normal for some people not to like it. As the saying goes: it is difficult to adjust. Eating is a necessity to maintain life, but the taste is still not uniform. Not everyone likes to eat raw seafood and delicacies, and there are many vegetarians. Besides, Beijing Opera, as an art, needs food and shelter whether it likes it or not.
Understanding the theme of Beijing opera requires a certain culture. The content of Peking Opera is basically based on historical classics, refined and adapted from the vast history of thousands of years. Without a certain culture, it is really difficult to understand the age, characters, events and relationships in the play. Intellectuals seem easier to appreciate. More precisely, intellectuals with a certain knowledge of Chinese studies, literature and history prefer it, while intellectuals full of mathematics and physics do not necessarily like Beijing opera.
The lyrics of Beijing opera are very literary, which is different from the colloquialism of most local operas. Except for a few colloquialisms for humorous reasons, the lyrics of Beijing opera are very literary, which is far from what the current "school of new poetry" can match. We should not only pay attention to rhyme, balance and antithesis, but also borrow rhetorical devices such as metaphor, parallelism and analogy to make the lyrics vivid. Even to put it bluntly, it is semi-classic. Without a good literary background, it is difficult to understand what the lyrics say, and of course it is not a good appreciation.
The soothing performance of Peking Opera is more suitable for educated people to enjoy, the water flows slowly, and the distinguished people speak late. Most knowledgeable and educated people take it in stride. Appreciating the slow-paced Beijing opera can better taste the real taste, while people with low educational level like to go straight to the subject and are not interested in "foreplay". "If you have something to say directly, it will take a long time to sing and waste time." . This is what people who don't understand Beijing opera often say. Instead of watching TV dramas directly.
Beijing opera is an art, and art has always served a specific group of people. As an art form, Peking Opera, like calligraphy, painting and ballet, is not for everyone. Just as knowledgeable people love reading and shallow people love listening to books, all Sir Wei Xiaobao Wei's knowledge comes from listening to books. Peking Opera rises in the upper class and is constantly improved by intellectuals according to their own appreciation tastes, which is more suitable for intellectuals' appreciation habits. Not everyone likes watching foreign ballet and opera. Most of the people who enter the theater are gentlemen in formal clothes.