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Chinese Theater in an Extraordinary CenturyA key component of traditional Chinese culture, Chinese theater underwent drastic changes in the 20th century.For thousands of years, the Chinese people lived in a society largely supported by an agricultural economy. The decades before the turn of the 20th century and the subsequent 100 years broug...
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Chinese Opera: Traditional Art Revival in the New EraLike other civilizationsin the world, China’s long cultural history included a lengthy history of theatrical performance, but not until the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) did China’s most representative opera,Xiwen, a classical local opera from Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province, emerge....
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Yan Rui: Birth of a New GenreAs the lights come up, the backdrop, tables, chairs, screens, plaques and other props ofthe Peking Opera showseta relatively specific scene. The stage begins to rotate slowly, and the troupe hidden behind the setis moved to centerstage. The whole stage is an opera withi...
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Zhang Jianfeng: Finding the Future of Peking OperaAs a winner of the Plum Performance Award, China’s top honor for practitioners of theatrical arts, Zhang Jianfeng practices Peking Opera every day. “The ecstasy of producing vocal vibrations cannot be matched,” he said. “The charm of traditional Chinese culture is singular.”Back to SchoolZhang...
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Mao Weitao: Artistic BraveryOn the evening of January 1, 2021, a new productionof thetraditional Yue Opera playLiang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai,also known asThe Butterfly Lovers, adapted from a well-known Chinese folk story, debutedat Butterfly Theater onthe bank of West Lake in Hangzhou,...
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Henan opera performer intends to make arts more appreciatedXiaoxiangyu, a well-known Chinese Yuju Opera actress, believes that her most important job is to popularize arts, including operas—a gem of Chinese traditional culture, especially among the youth.Born into itThe 57-year-old was born into a family of Yuju Opera, a traditional art that originated in...
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