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Chinese opera performers mainly have two methods of makeup: masks and facial painting. The frequent on-stage change of masks, without the audience noticing, is a special technique, known as changing faces. Opera facial painting falls into three main categories -- personality makeup (facial designs, painted faces or Lian Pu), decorative makeup (decorated faces), mood makeup (changing facial designs), and pictographic makeup (animal-like facial designs).
Lian Pu
Personality makeup, or Lian Pu,refers to facial designs for Jing and Chou roles. It originated from daily life experience, describing such changes of expression as white for fear, red for shyness, dark for suntan, and sallow for illness. Most facial designs attach great importance to the eyes and eyebrows.Lian Pu has formed a complete system, such as the facial designs of Peking Opera.
Red, yellow, white, black, purple, green and silver are the main colors used for facial designs to represent different characters. For instance, red stands for loyal, courageous and upright people; white for sinister and cunning officials; and golden and silvery colors for gods and ghosts.
The facial designs for the Jing roles are made by painting, powdering and coloring in the basic forms of Zheng Lian(keeping the basic face pattern),San Kuai Wa Lian(three-section face) and Sui Lian(fragmentary face). These types are widely used to represent generals, officials, heroes, gods and ghosts.
The Chou actors can be recognized by the patch of white in various shapes (cube-, date pit-or bat-shaped) painted around the eyes and nose. Sometimes these patches are outlined in black, hence the term Xiao Hua Lian(partly painted face). The Chou roles fall into the following two categories:Wen Chou(civil) and Wu Chou(martial).
Decorative makeup
Decorative makeup refers to the facial decorations of Sheng and Dan actors, also known asSu Mian orJing Mian(elegant or clean faces). In the early days,Sheng actors and Dan actresses put on light makeup. At the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), stage lighting was used, and actors and actresses had to put on heavy makeup by using greasepaint rather than fine powder. Though theShengandDanperformers do not have facial designs as Jing and Chou roles, their makeup is full of decorative interest.
Chinese opera performers mainly have two methods of makeup: masks and facial painting. The frequent on-stage change of masks or facial makeup, without the audience noticing, is a special technique, known as changing faces.
Changing Faces a difficult technique in opera performance. It is considered to be stunts and only mastered after hard training. Face changing is also a special technique used to exaggerate the inner feelings of characters, portray their dispositions, set off the atmosphere and improve the effects. Facial changes expressing sudden changes in the feelings of a character are mostly done in four ways:
Blowing Dust:The actor blows black dust hidden in his palm or close to his eyes, nose or beard, so that it blows back into his face.
Manipulating Beard:Beard colors can be changed while the beard is being manipulated, from black to gray and finally to white, expressing anger or excitement.
Pulling-down Masks:The actor can pull down a mask which has been previously hidden on top of his head and which leaves his face red, green, blue or black, to demonstrate happiness, hate, anger or sadness, respectively.
Mop:The actor mops out the greasepaint, which is previously hidden in his sideburns or eyebrows, around his eyes and nose, thus change his facial appearance.
Wu Yin and Si Hu, or Five Yin and Four Hu,are terms for Chinese opera. They are about the proper pronouncing skills.
Yin means note in pronunciation.FiveYin,the five notes of the ancient pentatonic scale, refers to the five places where air streams pass through to make different sound. It includes Hou(throat)Yin,Chi(through teeth)Yin,Ya(teeth)Yin,She(tongue)Yin and Chun(lip)Yin.
Four Hu, referring to the proper shapes of the performer's mouth when pronouncing, falls in four categories --Kai Hu, Qichi Hu, Hekou HuandCuokou Hu.
Only when the performer gets full understanding and control ofWuYinandSi Hu,can he make the proper and articulate pronunciation when performing.
Nowadays, when we say someone is Wu Yin Bu Quan (an idiom), we mean that this person is not good at singing at all.
In Chinese opera,Jue Se and Jiao Se have quite different meanings.
Jue Se refers to which figure in the play the actor represents.Jiao Se, or Hangdan,is basically classified as Sheng, Dan,Jing,Mo and Chou.
According to the age and social status of the characters,Sheng falls into three sub-groups:Lao sheng, Xiaosheng and Wu sheng;the Dan roles are subdivided into Zhengdan(orQingyi), Huadan, Wudan, Laodan, Caidan, Daomadan, and Guimendan;theJing roles, Dahualian, Erhualian, Wuer Hualian and Youhualian;the Chou roles, Wenchou and Wuchou.
Liang xiang means striking a pose on the stage. In Peking Opera, before they appear on or leave the stage, the leading actors are supposed to make a statue-like pose to show their mental spirit.
Qi ba(setting off for battle) got its name because it was first used in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) opera One Thousand Pieces of Gold. It is usually used in performances such as fully armed soldiers setting off for battle in the old days. It concentrates fundamental actions and dancing skills in order to demonstrate the prowess of generals and soldiers.
In Chinese theater, musical dialogues are known as "singing" and "recitation (dialogue)," and dance movements are known as "acrobatics" and "combat." Chinese theater is a comprehensive performing art, with singing, reciting (dialogues), dancing, acrobatics and martial arts as the basic performing techniques for telling a complete story. Moreover, the synthesized art forms in Chinese theater are not independent; instead, the dividing lines between them are blurred, and they intertwine with and penetrate each other.
No matter how beautiful the dances in an opera are and how brilliant its acrobatics are, all of them are techniques and means used by actors and actresses to portray characters. This is quite different from Western opera, in which the dividing lines between various art forms are distinct, each giving full play to its brilliance. Therefore, it is not easy to be a Chinese opera performer, who is required to be good at singing, acrobatics, recitation and martial arts as well.
That is why Chinese operas have everlasting charm. It is no wonder that audiences went wild when Mei Lanfang told about a woman's experiences with a modulated tone, clear, soft and smooth recitations, sentimental facial expressions, sweet and mellow songs, and elegant dances.
From the mid-Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), various forms of local opera flourished. Except for Kunqu, they were all called local operas. Of these local operas,Bangzi, Pihuang and Xiansuo occupied the leading position during the reign of Qian long (1736-1795). Well, in this period,Kunqu was on the decline.
The Chinese rulers regarded music as refined, and songs as popular. At that time,Kunqu represented the refined, or Yabu; and local operas, the popular, or Huabu,as they featured folk music.
While poetic dramas, including local tunes of Kunqu, were created by men of letters of the Ming and Qing Dynasties,Huabu got little help from either the literati or officialdom.Huabu plays, which drew their materials directly from folk culture, were full of the aroma of the earth and the intense emotion of life.Huabu did not conform to the literary standards and style of the time, which Kunqu, or Yabu, did.
However,Huabu had its own advantages as theater, and was by no means inferior to Zaju or poetic dramas of the previous dynasty. Its artistry was forged on the stage instead of being worked out in the quiet of a study. As there were no playwrights for Huabu, the Qing Dynasty did not give birth to famous playwrights equal to Guan Hanqing and Tang Xianzu.
The themes of Huabu were mainly historical stories. In the 19th century Chinese feudal society was approaching its end; the Chinese people's resentment of feudal rule that had been smoldering for quite a long time was strongly represented in Huabu dramas.The Fisherman's Revenge is a moving and tragic story of how an aged hero of the Marsh is forced to rebel by local tyrants.
From then on, the focus of Chinese theater began to be transferred from libretto literature to stage arts. The local operas of the Qing Dynasty were handed down by means of hand-copied scripts and oral instructions, and only a few librettos were printed. The only libretto that has survived is Zhui Bai Qiu, printed during the reign of Qianlong.
This allusion is taken form the New History of the Tang Dynasty. There goes such a story that Emperor Li Longji (685-762) of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), also known as Tang Ming Huang, loved music very much. He himself could play several types of musical instruments and compose music as well. He selected hundreds of young men and maids of the honor, and settled them in a pear orchard in the capital, Chang'an (present-day Xi'an). The Emperor taught them in person to sing and play musical instruments. They were called "the emperor's pear orchard pupils." And the man of letters of the period, such as Li Bai, all wrote plays for the pear orchard.
Later, the term "Pear Orchard" came to refer to operatic circles, and opera performers were called "Pear Orchard pupils". If several generations in a family were opera performers, then the family was called Pear Orchard Family, such as Maestro Mei Lanfang's family -- the family was famous for playing Dan roles and Mei Lanfang was of the third generation.
During the long process of development, up to now, there are about 317 kinds of operas inChina, which have developed their own unique styles, depending on local dialects. Their music reflects their differences.
It is recorded that the earliest existing drama scenario isTop Scholar Zhang Xie,written in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).
In 1920, a Chinese scholar bought a copy ofThe Yong Le Encyclopedia(Volume 13991) from an antique market inLondon. It includes three ancient dramas, one of which isTop Scholar Zhang Xie. It was exciting news that a complete Southern Drama script had finally been found.
This script aroused great interest, because it retains all the features of theSouthern Drama. It is introduced by a narrator, and the characters start to perform as he is telling the audience the background to the play.
The story ofTop Scholar Zhang Xiegoes as follows: On his way to the capital to take part in the highest imperial examination, Zhang Xie runs into a group of bandits atFiveChickenMountain, and is seriously injured. A poor girl living in theMountainGodTempletakes care of him. Neighbors Li Dagong and his wife serve as go-betweens, and the two young people get married. Soon afterwards, Zhang Xie continues his journey to the capital. His wife cuts off her hair and sells it for his traveling expenses. Zhang Xie passes the imperial examination, and become the No.1 Scholar. His wife goes to the capital to look for him, but is turned away from his door. When passingFiveChickenMountain, Zhang Xie almost kills his wife with his sword, but she is saved by another official, who takes her as his adopted daughter. Finally, Zhang Xie and his wife are reunited.
Top Scholar Zhang Xieshows the traces of the transition from singing-and-recitation performance to the drama proper, and that is where its cultural value lies.
In Peking Opera, there are four roles: the male and female roles, the painted-face role, and the comedic role. These roles have the natural features of age and sex, as well as social status, and are artificially exaggerated by makeup, costume and gestures.
Lao Sheng and Xiao Sheng
Sheng
Sheng, a male role, usually a leading one, dates back to Southern Drama of the Song and Yuan Dynasties (960-1368). This role appears in operas in all historical periods. According to the age and social status of the characters,Sheng falls into five sub-groups:Laosheng, Xiaosheng,Wusheng, Hongsheng and Wawasheng(characters of children).
Laosheng is also known as Xusheng, meaning bearded, because the actors wear artificial beards, as they are middle-aged or elderly men. Most are upright and resolute characters. They sing in their natural voices, and their actions are serious ones.
Xiaosheng is a sub-category of Sheng representing young male characters. They don't wear artificial beards. They always sing in their real voices, while in Kunqu and Pihuang operas the singing mixes natural and falsetto voices.
Wushengstands for all of the male characters who appear in battle scenes. They are further subdivided into Changkao Wuheng,Duanda Wusheng, Goulian Wusheng and Houxi Wusheng.They always wear helmets and thick-soled boots. The generals always carry long pikes.Wusheng roles call for sturdy and vigorous actions, with resounding declamations. The movements of the waist and legs are powerful, and a high level of martial arts skills is demanded in these roles.Duanda Wusheng roles use short-handled weapons, and their movements are light and swift.
Dan
Qing Yi, Wu Dan, Hua Dan,and Lao Dan
The dan (female role) is divided into qing yi, wu dan, and hua dan, respectively representing: a middle-aged woman who always acts as a Mrs or Miss from a noble family; a woman who can fight; and a young girl who serves as a maid.
Qing yi was the main Dan role in the Northern Zaju.Qing yi refers to young or middle-aged women with gentle and refined dispositions. Most of Qing Yi's lines are delivered in song, and even the spoken parts are recited in rhythmic style.
Huadan is a role for a vivacious maiden, a young woman with a frank and open personality, or a woman of questionable character.
Wudan refers to female characters skilled in the martial arts and can be subdivided intoDaomadan and Wudan,according to the social positions and skills represented.Daomadan is good at using pikes and spears, and at riding horses.Wudan always wears short robes and the role emphasizes acrobatics.Wudan plays gods and ghosts and has excellent fighting skills.
Laodan usually represents aged women. He/She sings in their natural voices, in a style similar to that of Laosheng but in milder tones. In some types of opera,Laodanis called Fudan or Bodan.
Caidan, also called Choudan, represents clownish and cunning females. The performance of this part calls for exuberance.
Jing
The jing (painted-face role) means all kinds of painted-faces and acts as the male role that has a particular personality or appearance.
The Jing role originates from the Fujing role of the Song Zaju. TheJing roles gradually increased in number, and became further divided into several groups, according to the different social positions and characters of the roles.
Dahualian with a fully painted face is known as Zheng Jing. The roles represent men of high social standing and good behavior, often court ministers.Zheng Jingsings in vigorous and sturdy tones.
Erhualian, also known asFu Jing, has powerful bodily movements and sturdy singing voices. Some roles in this group represent rascally ministers, recognizable by their white faces.
Wu'er Hualian is also known as Wu Jing.This role is more physical than most of the others, with little singing or reciting.
You Hualian, also known as Mao Jing, is a clownish role. Some of You Hualian roles have special skills, such as spouting fire from the mouth or baring the teeth.
Chou
The chou (comic face which means clown) always acts as a wise and funny folk chivalrous man, or a man who has low social status.
TheChou roles originated in Southern Drama of the Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368) and appear in various kinds of operas. They portray various kinds of characters, some are warm-hearted, simple and sincere, and some are sinister and mean.
In modern operas, the performance of Chou roles has developed rapidly, and different operas have their own styles. In general, the Chou roles do not focus on singing, but the dialogue is clear and fluent. According to the social positions, characters and skills demanded, the Chou roles are divided into two categories:Wenchou(civilian) and Wuchou(martial). Both have their own special features.
Wuchou is also known as Kai Kou Tiao. It requires not only a good command of the martial arts or acrobatics, but also the ability to deliver the lines both clearly and fluently. The movements should be light and powerful.
The mo role also belongs to the lao sheng category, except that he is much older and a scatterbrain with a low social status. In this role, the actor puts a small dot of whitening on the nose when putting on make-up. He is commonly called a clown due to the besmirched, multicolored, clown face that is generally known as "three painted-faces."
