Teochew opera, also known as Chaozhou opera, Chaoyin opera, Chaodiao, Chaozhou Baizi (white characters on top), and Chaoqu, is mainly popular in the Chaozhou area and is an ancient local Han opera type sung in Chaozhou dialect.
Teochew opera is mainly spread in eastern Guangdong, southern Fujian, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Shanghai, as well as in Southeast Asia, the United States, Canada, France, Australia and other areas where overseas Chinese and ethnic Chinese who speak Teochew dialect live together.
Teochew opera is often performed at temple fairs to show respect for the "master" (referring to the gods). People also like to watch it in a very lively atmosphere, which makes the festival atmosphere more intense. Therefore, Teochew opera is better than other operas. The drama has a rich folkloric color.
Teochew Opera is a branch of Southern Opera in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. It gradually evolved from the Southern Opera in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. It is an ancient opera with a history of more than 440 years. It mainly absorbs the specialties of Yiyang Tune, Kun Opera, Bangzi, and Pihuang. , combined with local Han folk art, such as Chaozhou dialect, Chaozhou music, Chaozhou song album, Chaozhou embroidery, etc., and finally formed its own unique art form and style.
Chinese opera formed Northern Zaju and Southern Opera (Nanxi) from the 12th to 13th centuries. Northern Zaju developed on the original basis of Song and Jin Dynasties. It reached prosperity in the Yuan Dynasty; Nan Opera was first formed and developed in Wenzhou, Zhejiang in the early 12th century. During the more than 200 years of spread and development in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Nan Opera spread to the Yangtze River Basin and the southeastern coast, forming Yiyang Tune (Jiangxi), Haiyan Tune, Yuyao Tune (Zhejiang), Kunshan Tune (Suzhou), and Quanchao Tune (Southern Fujian and Guangdong). East) and other vocal opera types.
Southern Opera spreads to various places and forms local dialect operas. Generally, there are two situations. "One is that after the original tunes of Southern Opera spread to various places, they were sung by opera actors in the local language. Due to the language and intonation The differences in music make it constantly changing and gradually becoming localized in style; one is local Han folk music - from Yangko, minor tunes, to some religious songs, which are constantly used in operas, enriching The two factors interpenetrate and form a number of different styles of vocal operas. The development of Chaozhou opera in the Ming Dynasty proves that there were prosperous Southern opera performances in the Chaoshan area during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. The early Southern Opera scripts of the Song and Yuan Dynasties that have been lost in historical records, such as "Yan Chen" (i.e. "Chen Yanchen", which plays the story of Chen Yanchen and Lian Jingniang) and "The Story of Liu Xibi's Golden Hairpin", are the early Southern Operas that were circulated in the Chaoshan area. evidence.
Secondly, "Cai Bojie" and "Liu Xibi's Story of the Golden Hairpin" are both Southern Opera scripts sung in Chaozhou dialect, which shows that after Southern Opera spread to the current Chaoshan area, Chaozhou artists once sang in Chaozhou dialect. Due to the differences in pronunciation and intonation, the original tunes have changed. At the same time, it also absorbed Chaozhou folk music, minor tunes, etc., thus forming a new tune - Chaozhou tune based on Nan Opera. Dai Jing of the Ming Dynasty recorded in "Guangdong General Chronicles": "The trendy customs mostly use local accents to perform dramas." In the early Qing Dynasty, Qu Dajun recorded in "Guangdong News": "Chaozhou people sing northern and southern songs in local accents, which is called Chaozhou opera." The unearthing of these two handwritten performance scripts is evidence that Chaozhou people sing northern and southern songs in local accents.
Thirdly, "The Story of Lychee" and "The Story of Lychee Mirror" are scripts based on Chaozhou Han folk stories, with complete structure, skillful techniques and sung in Chaozhou accent, which shows that Chaozhou opera has become more popular during the Jiajing period. Mature, then the age of its formation should naturally be before Jiajing. To what era was it? Based on relevant historical data, some opera research experts believe that "Before the mid-Ming Dynasty, Quanchao tune was already very popular. It had unique repertoire and performance forms and was spread in Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, and Chaozhou." "Before the middle of Ming Dynasty" is the beginning of the 15th century, which is more than 500 years ago. If we count from Jiajing Bingyin (1566) published in "Li Jing Ji", the absolute history of Teochew opera is more than 450 years ago.
After the development in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Teochew opera has gone through a tortuous process in modern times.
During the Anti-Japanese War, Teochew opera was in decline. There were originally many troupes but by this time there were only a few.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, literature and art were valued and Teochew opera was revived. In the past, Teochew opera had always implemented a child actor system. Xiaosheng, Qingyi and Huadan were all performed by child entertainers. These entertainers grew up Later, when the voices changed, they were eliminated. This system seriously hindered the development of Teochew opera art. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the child actor system was abolished and reforms were carried out in all aspects, cultivating a large number of outstanding actors, giving the ancient art of Teochew opera a new luster.
In the golden age of the 1950s and 1960s, the number of professional and amateur Teochew opera troupes in various places grew to nearly 200, and the first generation of critically acclaimed "Five Golden Flowers" emerged. He also performed in Beijing twice and received rave reviews from all parties.
During the "Cultural Revolution", all these theater troupes were disbanded and were not restored until the Jiang Qing counterrevolutionary clique was crushed.
Since the reform and opening up, under the impact of various new entertainment methods and the market economy, Teochew opera, like other traditional Chinese operas, has been advancing in difficulties and constantly exploring new development paths.
Chaozhou Opera has been widely spread in Chaozhou, Zhao'an, Yunxiao and other places in southern Fujian by the end of Ming Dynasty, and is closely related to Liyuan Opera. In the forty-fifth year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1566), the play "Li Jing Ji" was published by Masa, Jianyang. It was sung in "Quan and Chao tunes" and at the same time absorbed the music and tunes of Nan Opera. According to "Chaozhou Prefecture Chronicles" written by Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty, at the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Chaozhou opera was "mixed with silk and bamboo orchestral music and Nanyin local style tones". The Qianlong edition of "Chaozhou Prefecture Chronicles" records: "The legends performed are all based on Southern dialects and local customs." Tiaoyuan believes that "Chao sounds like Min".
In the Qing Dynasty, Teochew opera was very prosperous in Chaoshan and southern Fujian. In the 13th year of Qianlong's reign (1748), Cai Bolong of Zhangpu said in "Guanyinhui Explanation": "When you make straight characters, you sing the official tune; when you make the white characters, you sing the Quan tune; when you make the Chao tune, you sing the Chao tune..." On the 20th of Jiaqing In 1816, "Yunxiao Hall Chronicles" recorded: "The vulgar people are fond of acting, leading to prostitution and increasing sorrow, how can they be seen by good men and women? Although it is not possible to eradicate them all, we should take those who have beneficial customs and make them into songs. Those who listen to it can have a conscience and not feel helpless."
The period from the late Qing Dynasty to the 1920s and 1930s was the period when Teochew opera flourished. According to "Customs" in Volume 4 of "Yunxiao County Chronicle": "According to the current popularity of Chaozhou opera in this city, this drama likes to perform rural songs and spread despicable novels to cater to women and children. Every time they sing and perform, they stay up all night, The whole country is going crazy.” Moreover, “one street club performs at least ten shows every year, and it is expensive.” Streets in the nearby Longyan city also “cross the border” and “compete for recruitment of Teochew opera performances.” The repertoire performed is divided into three categories according to content and themes: Da Luo Opera, Xiao Luo Opera and Su Luo Opera. Most of the big gong operas are traditional plays, including a number of Song and Yuannan operas such as "Cai Bojie", "Liu Zhiyuan", "Guo Hua", "Moon Worship", "Jing Chai", etc.; the small gong operas mostly use folk themes. , are small life dramas, such as "Peach Blossom Crossing" and "Yichun Collection"; Su Luo Opera belongs to court drama and martial arts drama.
In what era was Teochew opera formed and developed? Researchers have different opinions. One is that it developed from the Chaozhou witchcraft "Guan Xitong", and the other is that Chaozhou opera is a branch of Yiyang opera and "a direct product of the spread of Yiyang opera in various places."
It was not until the 1930s that the Ming Dynasty Teochew opera scripts that had been exported overseas were discovered, and the Southern opera scripts hand-written by Ming Dynasty artists were unearthed in Chaozhou. The origin of Teochew opera’s Southern opera was supported by historical data.
In 1936, Chinese historian Xiang Da published the article "Recording Chinese Books in the Collection of Oxford" in the "Journal of Peking Library", introducing for the first time the Teochew operas stored in the Oxford University Library in the UK. The Ming Dynasty engraving of "Banqu Lijing Opera" (i.e. the script of "Chen Sanwu Niang"). The full title of the play is "Re-Publishing the Five-Color Chaoquan Gags and Adding Poems and Beiqu Goulan Lijing Ji Opera". This printed edition in the collection of Oxford University has "a missing last page, so it is impossible to know when the book was published." However, Xiang Da believes that "from the perspective of the fonts and illustrations, it is similar to the editions published around Wanli in the Ming Dynasty."
Twenty years have passed since Xiang Da introduced the Oxford collection of "The Lychee Mirror". In 1956, Mei Lanfang and Ouyang Yuqian led the Chinese Peking Opera Troupe to visit Japan. They saw another Ming edition of "Banqu Lijing Opera" at Tenri University in Japan, and another "Chongbu" hidden in the Toyo University Research Institute of the University of Tokyo. "The Complete Collection of Teochew Opera Golden Flower Girls" (with an engraving of "Su Liu Niang"). The Ming edition of "Ban Qu Li Jing Xi Wen" stored in Tenri University is the same edition as the "Ban Qu Li Jing Xi Wen" collected by Oxford University in the UK. However, the book is well preserved, and the last page is the bookstore's confession and the words "Jiajing Bingyin Year". Jiajing is the reign name of Zhu Houxun, Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty, and the Jiajing Bingyin year is 1566 AD. The "Replenishing the Collection of Jinhua Chaozhou Operas in the Ming Dynasty", which is stored in the Toyo University Research Institute of the University of Tokyo, does not have a year number, but according to expert research, it was printed during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (see "Five Postscripts of Chaozhou Operas in the Ming Dynasty").
There is a confession from the bookstore engraved at the end of the Jiajing volume: "The Lijing Ji opera is reprinted, totaling one hundred and five leaves. Because the previous version of the Lichi Ji has many errors and errors, and the number of operas has been reduced, Chaoquan II will now be published. Department, add "Yan Chen", "columns, poems, Northern Songs, corrected and reprinted, so that poets and poets can read it at leisure. It is called Lijingji. Buyers must recognize Yu's Xin'an Yun'er in this hall" to explain this. The "reprinted" version is made from the old version of "Lizhi Ji", combining the two Chaoquan volumes, adding "Yan Chen", Beiqu and other contents, and "correcting" the textual differences in the old version of "Lizhi Ji".
In 1964, Professor Long Peter, director of the Institute of Oriental Studies at Oxford University and a sinologist, discovered another Ming Dynasty blockbuster of Teochew opera in the National Library of Vienna, Austria. This one was published in Xinsi, Wanli, Ming Dynasty (1581 AD) The "Newly Engraved and Supplemented Complete Collection of Xiangtan Talks about Lychee" is not called "The Story of Lychee" but "The Story of Lychee" because it has the same story content as "The Story of Lychee". Different performance versions. It is difficult to determine whether its original version is the original version of Lijing Ji re-engraved in Jiajing, but this version is a "new engraving and supplement" version, which means that it existed in the original engraving (first engraving) before Wanli. The front volume of this block is engraved with the words "Compiled by Li Shi of Chaozhou Dongyue". Local operas are not popular, and it is rare for the opera scriptwriter to be named. This block also has the scriptwriter Li Dongyue from Chaozhou engraved on it.
While the Ming Dynasty editions of Teochew operas spread overseas were being discovered one after another, in 1958 and 1975, "Cai Bojie" was unearthed from Ming tombs in Yuhu, Jieyang County and Fengtang, Chao'an County. (i.e., "The Story of Pipa") and "The Story of Liu Xibi's Golden Hairpin" were unearthed, which attracted great attention from domestic and foreign opera experts and considered them "precious documents for studying the history of the development of opera" and "new works." "A major discovery of opera cultural relics since the founding of the People's Republic of China."
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Teochew opera community has carried out a series of traditional repertoire inheritance activities.
The current batch of traditional Teochew opera repertoires, It can be roughly divided into two categories. The first category is repertoire that has been refined and has a high artistic level. Among them, the most representative ones are "Li Jing Ji" and "Su Liu Niang", and the excerpts include "Sweeping the Window". "Hui", "Lulin Hui", "Bianben", "Nao Chai", "Assassination of Liang Ji", "Nao Kaifeng", etc.
In the 1950s and 1960s, there were many talented people in the Teochew opera industry, both old and new artists. There were many literary and art workers, and literati and scholars in society also paid close attention to Teochew opera. At that time, the collection and inheritance of the tradition reached a peak. Experts and scholars screened a large number of traditional plays, and most of the plays with refining value were processed. , has become a classic and repertoire of Teochew opera. This batch of plays has compact scripts, high conception, elegant lyrics, and high literary value; the music not only retains the tradition, but also incorporates new materials; the action design and character creation are closely connected, and retain the characteristics of Teochew opera. Delicate and elegant features and unique performance programs
In addition, a number of excellent new historical dramas have been written, such as "Ci Langzhou" and "Yuan Chonghuan"
In addition, the establishment of Jieyang Jiedong Xiaomeihua Teochew Opera Troupe and Guangdong Xiaobaihua Teochew Opera Troupe are striving to convey the artistic charm of ancient Teochew opera to young people and have achieved certain results. Among them, Xiaomeihua also hired famous Teochew opera actor Lin Shunqing to guide them.
In addition, the cartoon Teochew opera developed by students from Hanshan Normal University also attracted a lot of attention.
Current situation
Teochew opera is a vivid example of ancient Chinese opera surviving on the stage. It is one of the representatives of the outstanding cultural expressions of the Chinese nation and has profound historical significance and high aesthetic value. . After 1990, Teochew opera was restricted by the market economy and impacted by various modern literary and artistic forms. Investments decreased, brain drain, and artistic level declined. The excellent traditional performing arts were on the verge of extinction. They were in a difficult development situation and were in urgent need of protection and development. support.
The state attaches great importance to the protection of intangible cultural heritage. On May 20, 2006, Teochew opera was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists. The "Guangdong Teochew Opera Development and Reform Foundation" has been established in Guangzhou. On September 24, 2012, the 4th Teochew Opera Festival opened in Shantou. Teochew opera applied to the United Nations for inclusion in the Representative List of Human Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Target
Not only is it deeply loved by people in the Chaozhou speaking areas of Guangdong and Fujian, it is also popular and influential in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. It is a representative local opera. The artistic charm of Teochew opera and the cultural taste of Teochew opera are an extremely important part of Chaozhou traditional culture.
In order to promote Teochew culture, let the artistic wonder of Teochew opera bloom more vividly, and let everyone appreciate the culture of our hometown online, this is our unshirkable responsibility.
Notes
①See Xiao Yaotian's "A Series Examination of Folk Drama".
②See "General History of Chinese Opera" edited by Zhang Geng and Guo Hancheng.
③ "Cai Bozhe" was discovered in a Ming Dynasty tomb in Xizhai Village, Yuhu Commune, Jieyang County in 1958. ***Five volumes were unearthed, three of which were destroyed after being unearthed. The manuscript "Cai Bojie" consists of two volumes, including one "general edition" with fifty-four leaves. "Biography", one volume, thirty-eight leaves. There are three leaves of the remaining text, and the total number is ninety-five. The "overall" from "celebrating in the high hall" to "suffering from the chaff" is the manuscript of the first half of the whole play. The "生" version ranges from "Nanpu Farewell" to "Yimen Jingbiao", with some defects in between.
"The Story of Liu Xibi's Golden Hairpin" was discovered on December 23, 1975, in the Ming tomb of a couple buried together in Xishanxi, Fengtang Commune, Chao'an County. The main text of the manuscript is seventy-two leaves, including sixty-seven plays (four are missing in the middle). Attached are the gong and drum score "Sanbanggu", one leaf of "Deshenggu", two leaves of the Sanqu "Heimaxu", ***70 It has five leaves. There are "Xuande Sixth Year" in the middle of the text leaf and "Xuande Seventh Year and June" on the last page. It is a manuscript written during the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty.
④⑤⑦⑧⑨ Liu Nianzi's "New Evidence of Southern Opera".
⑥Huang Shizhong's "A Preliminary Study of Cai Boji's Pipa Chronicles".