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Terms and Roles
Actually,
"piao you" means Peking opera fans, "piao fang"
means the place where fans meet to amuse themselves and "xia
hai" means turning professional. When you come across with
a small group of Peking opera fans singing in a street corner, that
corner can be considered a "street piao fang".
"Sheng, Dan, Jing, Chou," for instance, are just the terms
for four different types of roles. Every type has its telltale facial
makeup and decoration.
The ten Chinese characters shown on left probably
says everything about the roles in Beijing Opera. The top five characters
list the five role catagories. The rest tells what roles appear
in the plays, from the powerful supernatural beings to animals like
tigers and dogs. There are currently four main role catagories in
Beijing Opera. They are:
Male Role (Sheng),
Female Role (Dan),
Painted
Face Male (Jing),
Comedy
Actor or Clown (Chou).
Any role in these catagories or sub-catagories can be the leading
role in a play. Except the second catagory, the other three catagories
are for male charactors.
As for why the role catagories take the names of Sheng, Dan, Jing
and Chou, here is an explanation. It is said that they were chosen
to mean the opposite. Sheng in Chinese may mean "strange"
or "rare", but the chief male is a character of most seen.
Dan, which means "morning", "masculine", is
in contravory with the femiline nature of the characters. Jing means
"clean". In fact, the paintings on face make the charaters
look like unclean but colorful. And Chou in Chinese sometime represents
the animal "Cow", which, in some aspects, is slow and
tardy. In contrast, Chou charaters are usually active and quick.
Sheng -- Male Role:
Sheng has some sub-catagories, including Senior, Junior, Acrobatic,
Junior Acrobatic, Child, Red-face, Poor, Official, etc. These are
classified according to the role's characteristics. Male roles are
either civil or military. The actors themselves are mainly trained
for three main parts: Senior Male Role or Lao Sheng, a middle-aged
or old man who wears a beard, Junior Male Role or Xiao Sheng, a
young man; and Acrobatic Male Role or Wu Sheng, a man of military
tenor, especially skilled in acrobatics.
Lao Sheng actors are required to attain the dignity
of bearing and gentle, polished manners of the middle-aged mandarin
official or scholar; in military plays they may be a general or
high-ranking officer of a gentler and more cultivated disposition
than of the painted faces. Their apparel accordingly is of good
quality but not too garish in its design or color. A Lao Sheng has
a black or white beard, depending on his age, and wears a black
hat with two fins on either side which vary in shape according to
his rank in a civil role. When a military role is played, the costume
is quieter and of a more uniform color than those of the warriors
in the painted-face roles, but the armour is also worn. A Lao Sheng's
voice is soft and pleasant to listen to, neither too harsh nor too
high pitched, but gentle and firm. Minor officials or land owners
who have attained a small degree of responsibility are also included
in this role.
The red face Lao Sheng, or Hong Sheng has only two roles. One of
such a role is Guan
Gong who is regarded as the God of War. He is greatly
revered and respected. Guan Gong is one of the heroes of the Chinese
classical novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The other Hong
Sheng role is Zhao Kuang-Yin, the first Song Dynasty Emperor.
The junior male
or Xiao Sheng
requires of its actor the distinguishing feature of a shrill and
high-pitched voice to indicate his youth. The part is extremely
difficult to sing, and when the actor is speaking his voice must
suddenly drop from its high-pitched quality to indicate the voice-breaking
period of adolescence. The Xiao Sheng is usually small and slight
of stature, and his clothes are often quite elaborate if a young
man of society or a young warrior is being represeented, but can
be subdued if they are those of an impoverished scholar. The young
warrior can often be distinguished by his long pheasant feathers
which rise in sweeping curves from his hat. No beard is worn for
this part.
Wu
Sheng actors are mainly
acrobats, although they sometimes have a part which requires much
acting. They play any part in military or civil plays which requires
a high level acrobats. The skill of these actors is demonstrated
in the fighting scenes, which take on a stylized form in Beijing
opera, and also in scenes from legendary stories when immortals
and devils tumble and twist about the stage showing off feats of
skill. In military plays, swords and spears are wielded deftly and
quickly without the attacker actually touching his opponent. These
movements require great precision in timing, and the actor ducks
and twists his body, often turning somersaults at same time. If
he is a young military officer, the Wu Sheng will also have pheasant
feathers in his hat, and four small flags or pennants strapped to
his back and high-soled boots, all of which make his acrobatic feats
even more spectacular. His costume is often bright in color, especially
in the legendary plays. A Wu Sheng actor is not trained as highly
in singing, for acting and acrobatics are his outstanding feature,
but he has a pleasant voice, slightly stronger than Lao Sheng but
rather quiet in pitch, and he sings with a natural voice.
Dan -- Female Role:
The Dan or female role can be divided into six main parts which
pricipally indicate character; Qing Yi, modest and virtuous; Hua
dan, flirtatious; Gui Men Dan, a young unmarried girl; Dao Ma Dan,
a stronger, more forceful character, usually a woman general; Wu
Dan, the female acrobat; and Lao Dan, an old woman.
A Qing Yi actress portrays a lady of good and sympathetic character.
Usually of a quiet, gentle disposition and graceful in her movements,
she is the chinese ideal of a beautiful woman. As a wife she is
faithful, as a young girl a model of propriety. Her good breeding
is shown by the graceful, flowing movements of her 'water sleeves'.
The Qing Yi's costume is elegant, simple and of good quality, but
not as vivid in color as that of the Hua Dan. Her singing is in
a pure, high-pitched voice.
For a Hua
Dan actress, the flirtatious personality of
a young girl is required. Usually not of such a high social standing
as the Qing Yi, the Hua Dan actress with her coy, coquettish and
generally quicker movements arrests the attention of the audience.
This is a difficult part to play successfully. The Hua Dan's facial
expression is continually changing and her mischievous eye movements
are particularly attractive. Because of her lower social status,
more hand movements are required, as in olden times it was not considered
polite for a well-bred chinese lady to show her hands. Costume,
usually vivid in design and color, consists of a jacket and trousers,
and a red or colored handkerchief is carried to flutter in the actress's
hand. Her character, needless to say ,is not as virtuous as that
of the Qing Yi and therefore her singing voice has a gayer and slightly
stronger quality. She also has to do more speaking than singing.
A Gui Men Dan is the young, unmarried girl, who in later life will
develop into a Qing Yi or a Hua Dan; her immaturity is clearly shown
in her naughty and slightly mischirvous actions. She has not the
confidence of the Hua Dan, although her schemes and plans are often
just as successful.
A Dao Ma Dan plays the part of the female warrior. she is trained
mainly for acting and singing and performs many skillful movements
especially with the pheasant feathers in her head-dress and her
military weapons. She still retains feminine charm, however, and
a very versatile actress is required for this role. Her parts, such
as that of Mu Gui Ying, are of the heroines in Chinese history who
were famed for their military prowess. A Dao Ma Dan's clothes can
be very elaborate, as she wears the four pennants strapped to her
back.
A Wu Dan is the female acrobatic role and the Wu Dan actress steps
into or takes any female role that requires a high degree of acrobatics.
she is not only a purely acrobat but demands a talented actress
for a successful performance.
A Lao Dan is simply an old woman , but great skill is required
for this specilized part. The Lao Dan actress cleverly portrays
in her bent back and faltering but dignified movements. She is often
seen carrying a staff. Unlike the other female roles, the Lao Dan
wears no make-up and her costume is more subdued in color and design.
Her voice tends to be slightly deeper, because the natural voice
is used, not the forced high-pitched one used by other Dan roles.
Jing -- Painted Face Male:
To see a Jing actor
for the first time is a startling experience for the spectator.
This part is more noted for courage and resourcefulness than for
scholarly intelligence. Often playing the part of a high-ranking
army general, the Jing actor with his painted face can also be seen
as a warrior or offocial . His robust, gruff, bass voice and grotesquely
painted face together with his swaggering self-assertive manner
all combine to make him the most forceful personality in most scenes
in which he appears. Jing actors are usually, in fact, extroverts.
The general rule for the basic color is: red for good, white for
treacherous, black for brusque, and blue for wild, i.e. a bandit
would have a blue face. All Jing actors wear a heavy, ornate costume
and a head dress with a padded jacket underneath to enhance the
effect, They can be divided into three main types: Dong-Chui, better
known as Hei Tou (black face), who is good at singing and usually
a loyal general; Jia Zi, who is good at acting, and generally a
more complicated character; and Wu Jing, who is mainly proficient
in fighting and acrobatics and seldom plays a very prominent role.
Chou -- The Comedy Role:
Lastly there is the Chou or comedy actor who generally
plays the role of a dim but likeable and amusing character with
blinking eyes and all the appropriate gestures. Sometimes the Chou
can be a rascal, with a slightly wicked nature. Alternatively a
scholar or prince--an eccentric or representing the sort of a scholar
or prince who would not command much respect. Chou parts can be
divided into two types: Wen Chou, who is usually a civilian, such
as a jailer, servant, merchant or scholar; and Wu Chou, who performs
minor military roles as a soldier and must be skilled in acrobatics.
His costume is either elaborate or fussy if of high social standing,
but simple if of a low standing.
Mention must be made of the Monkey King who has a special place
in the hearts of all who are interested in Chinese opera. Played
by an exceptionally talented Wu Sheng actor, the Monkey King holds
every minute of the audience's attention with the quick, agile movements
of his lithe body, and his blinking eyes. He
is traditionally supposed to have accompanied a Buddhist monk who
went on a long journey across the mountains from China to India
to collect the Buddhist scriptures and bring them back to China.
The Monk's legendary companions on this journey are a pig (to provide
the humour), a not so learned monk, supposed to represent a shark
spirit, to mediate in quarrels, and the Monkey King, who possesses
special supernatural powers to combat evil spirits encountered on
the way. The Monkey King's costume is bright yellow in color and
consists of a voluminous jacket and baggy trousers to enable him
to perform his movements with ease and grace. He mimics a monkey
the whole time, with his knees always bent and his hands held dangling
in front of him, occasionally even scratching himself. His eyes
have a mischievous twinkle in them as they blink at the audience.
The Monkey King also has a trouple of monkeys who behave in the
same manner, but all have their own characteristics--one is greedy,
one naughty, one sleepy, etc.--and their skilful acrobatics and
movements are a continual source of delight and object of affection
for the audience.
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