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Performance arts Peking Opera and Local Operas China boasts more than 300 forms of traditional opera, of which Peking Opera is the most popular. It took shape in the early 19th century in Beijing, hence the name. Peking Opera is a unique art combining drama, singing, music, dancing and martial arts into one. There are more than 1,000 works in the repertoire, developed over 200 years. In the 50 years since the founding of New China the state and people have paid great attention to Peking Opera. A lot of new works have been staged, with themes ranging from historical stories, modern revolutionary war and socialist construction to everyday life. At the same time, a group of outstanding Peking Opera actors and actresses have emerged, including Mei Lanfang, Cheng Yanqiu, Ma Lianliang, Zhou Xinfang, and Du Jinfang. To develop the quintessence of Chinese culture many artists and opera fans have done a lot of work to promote this genre, even attracting foreign audiences. At the Crossroads has been performed in many countries. Three martial heroes meet in an inn. They quarrel, and attempt to secretly kill each other in the dark. The skillful acrobatics called for in this opera are both thrilling and humorous. Combat routines in the Peking Opera repertoire such as this one combines Chinese martial arts and the dramatic art and the actors and actresses must undergo strict physical and skill training from childhood before they can live up to the roles they play in such routines. Outstanding among them was the late Mr. Gai Jiao Tien, who performed these militant acts still with ease even at the age of 70. Mei Lanfang, who always played female roles, introduced Peking Opera to Japan, the United States and the USSR as early as in the 1920s and 1930s. < The Peking Opera Institute, founded in 1950, has trained a lot of excellent Peking Opera actors and actresses who have inherited the artistic achievements of previous generations and developed new characteristics of their own. At the same time, the other local operas have made reforms continuously, on the basis of keeping their basic traditions. Some of the local operas have become very popular in recent years, such as Yueju (Shaoxing Opera from Zhejiang), Huangmeixi (from Anhui), Chuanju (Sichuan Opera), Yuju (Henan Opera), and Yueju (Guangdong Opera). Tibetan opera has a religious tinge and is imbued with Tibetan ethnic folklore. It is bold and unconstrained and is becoming more and more popular both at home and abroad.Spoken Drama The early years of New China witnessed vigor in the sphere of spoken drama. The Young Generation, Teahouse, and other excellent spoken dramas had a great impact on many young people. After the end of the .cultural revolution. in 1976, spoken drama witnessed its prosperity again, when When All the Sounds Are Hushed, When Maple Leaves Are Red, and other wrathful works which complained about the crimes of the .Gang of Four. who brought calamities to China and its people, appeared. Afterwards, such works as Chen Yi Comes Down from the Mountain, Great General Peng Dehuai and Sun Yat-sen eulogized the great achievements of revolutionaries of the older generation with great admiration. In addition, a large number of traditional-type spoken dramas were produced. For instance, such new costume dramas as Song of the Great Wind, Tang Emperor Li Shimin, Wang Zhaojun, and Song-tsen Gampo were filled with the vehement spirit of the time. Also, many rearranged or transplanted ancient, modern and foreign spoken dramas were staged. After the Chinese Dramatists. Association set up the Cao Yu Chinese Dramatic Literature Prize, such excellent spoken dramas as Mayor Chen Yi, Warm Currents Outside the Room, Duet Romance, Weddings and Funerals, Tang Poet Li Bai, and A Crouching Tiger on Mount Zhong won the prize successively.The 17th Plum Blossom Awards for Chinese Dramas sponsored by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Chinese Dramatists Association were announced in Beijing in March 2000, with 39 people winning awards for excellent performances. Shen Tiemei of the Sichuan Opera Theater of Chongqing, Song Guofeng of the Liaoning People.s Art Theater, Feng Yuping of the Shenyang Pingju Opera Theater, Ding Jiali of the Chinese Youth Art Theater and Zhu Shihui of the Peking Opera Theater of Hubei Province won Plum Blossom Awards for the second time. Eighteen traditional opera performers including Zhang Huoding of the China Peking Opera Theater, Han Zaifen of the No. 2 Anqing Huangmei Opera Troupe of Anhui Province, and Qian Huili of the Shanghai Shaoxing Opera Theater, and ten modern drama performers including Ni Dahong of the Central Experimental Modern Drama Theater, three modern opera performers including Sun Yi of the China Opera and Dance Drama Theater, and three performers of professional folk theatrical troupes including Yang Hongli of the Jinzhong Xiaomingqin Shanxi Opera Troupe of Shanxi Province won Plum Blossom Awards for the first time.Acrobatics As early as in the Spring and Autumn Period, the art of acrobatics made its debut in China. The first type of acrobatics developed was strength acrobatics, with warriors whirling heavy wheels with their hands. In the Han Dynasty, acrobatic shows became important amusements frequently enjoyed at palace banquets as well as celebrations of the common people. Ancient acrobatics was handed down from generation to generation. Performances include such well-known ones as .Jumping Through Hoops,. .Diabolos,. .Tightrope Walking,. .Juggling with the Feet,. .Juggling with the Flower Jar,. .Plate Spinning,. and .A Pagoda of Bowls.. After the founding of the PRC in 1949, acrobatics developed rapidly, with the encouragement of the Chinese government. Now, there are nearly 100 acrobatic troupes above the county level, and thousands of non-governmental acrobatic troupes. A large contingent of professional and part-time acrobats has come into being. China has sent hundreds of acrobatic troupes abroad to perform in over 100 countries and regions. From 1981 to 1997, China won gold prizes on 35 occasions, such as the .Prize of the President of the Republic of France,. and the top prize at the .Tomorrow and the Future. International Acrobatic Festival held in France. So far, China has won 85 gold prizes at international acrobatic contests. The superb skills of Chinese acrobats have been praised by people all over the world, and China has been recognized as the leading country in the acrobatics field. There are many places in China where acrobatics is a local specialty, such as Liaocheng in Shandong Province, Yancheng in Jiangsu Province, Puyang in Henan Province, Tianmen in Hubei Province, Guangde in Anhui Province and Wuqing near Tianjin. In particular, Wuqiao in Hebei Province has gained a shining reputation both at home and abroad. Since 1987, the China Wuqiao International Acrobatics Festival has been held once every two years. |
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