Look into China (1) -- Chinese Theatre

Article: Fidelio  Translation:  Issac @WIEChina

On October 22nd (local time), the Peking Opera "The Three Way Fork, 2017" (三岔口2017) was successfully put on as the closure show of the 52nd Dimitria Festival in Thessalonica, Greek. It was the 2nd time the opera played in Europe following its 1st time in Bucharest Arts in Romania on June this year.As one of the three macro-groups of stage in the history of stage in the world, Paleo-Greece opera and  India theatricals are the other two, Chinese theatre is no doubt a historical stage artistic pattern. It combines with literature, music, dance, martial art, acrobatics and many forms of art. And it has more than 360 kinds, including Peking (京剧), Shaoxing (越剧), Huangmei (黄梅戏), Pingju opera (评剧) as its core, and other famous types: Kunqu (昆曲), Zhuizi Xi (坠子戏), Cantonese opera (粤剧), Huai opera (淮剧), Xichuan opera (川剧), Shanxi opera (秦腔), Shanghai opera (沪剧), Jin opera (晋剧), Hanchu opera (汉剧), Hunan opera (湘剧), Flower-drum (花鼓戏) etc.
The following is the 3 types of Chinese Theatre that have been listed as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.

• Peking Opera

It was about 1790 (Qing Dynasty) when the four biggest opera troupes in Anhui Province (Sanqing 三庆, Sixi 四喜, Chuntai 春台 and Chun 春) started being ferried to the capital on the Grand Canal to perform. They cooperated with artists from Hubei Province and absorbed scripts, tune, and types of performance from Kunqu, and Shanxi opera. Peking Opera was finally come up in such a way of communication and bonding. It first developed within Qing's royal class, then reached its prosperity during period of the Republic of China. And now it is brought to the whole world and plays an important role in introducing Chinese traditional art and culture.
  

 
• Kunqu Opera

Kunqu is one of the oldest opera in traditional Chinese Theatre, and  is treasured as the pearl of Chinese culture. It is honored as  the orchid in the kingdom of flower (orchid represents beauty, delicate and unsophisticated characteristics).
The gentle music, the agreeable and sweet tone of singing, the delicate narration, the elegant dance and performance all make Kunqu reach a master level of theatre art.
 

 
• Cantonese/Guangdong Opera

Cantonese opera was a type formed by Canton artists absorbing other provinces' opera and combining local chants,  ballads, and folk songs together. It is famous in Pearl River Delta, Hong Kong, Macao, and overseas Chinese residential areas.
It is sung in Cantonese. Similar to Peking Opera, it consists of arts like, singing, speaking, acting, acrobatic fighting and background music, stage and costume as well.
 

 
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Pictures of opera "The Three Way Fork, 2017"