Beijing Theatre – Record from early Qing Dynasty of China

Beijing Theatre – Record from early Qing Dynasty of China 

Beijing is the cultural centre of China. When you arrive at Beijing you can enjoy

so much of the youthful ideas, like a breath of fresh air from a modern civilization.

When you arrive in Beijing you can sample and taste the elegance and innocence of the ancient classics. The city’s inheritance as an Oriental Ancient Eastern City is more than 3000 years of recorded history and wonderful cultures.

The city is full of vitality. With more than 20 years of reform after opening up to the rest of the world and building this new modern capital.

Within the ancient and modern Capital City life is rich and colourful. The night brings such a display of colours, the streets continue as day. People that like shows will swarm into the theatres to enjoy plays, feeling the excitement and calming influence of steel and wood wind instruments and rubbed and plucked string instruments from outside and within the Orient. The people watching the play can be part of the show enjoying the different emotions of happiness, tension, fear and sorrow. Lifestyles in Beijing include such varied and optional influences.

Beijing theatres were recorded from early Qing dynasty. Until today in the Summer Palace, the emperor’s garden and Gong Qing Wang Fu, the emperor’s brother’s garden, you can still see the original arena type stages where dramas were performed.

In the Beijing of today, there are various modern styles of theatre spread everywhere around the city. There is hundreds of acting troupes and new dramas are being played every night.

When Beijing stage art is mentioned, people instantly think of Beijing’s Peking Opera, which is famous and appreciated around the world. Mei Lan Feng and the other four most famous performers, and other so famous Peking Opera maestro. The mention of operas also brings to memory, the clang of the gongs and symbols and the melody of the stringed instruments. No matter where you are in the world, when you hear these rhythms and sounds you will find the black eyes , black hair and yellow skinned dragons offspring, so recognised as Chinese. Peking opera is now a part of Chinas’ country arts. Generations of maestro have gestated from this land. Peking opera arts still blooms with vitality.

In Beijing there are so many active acting troupes such as China Peking Opera troupe, Beijing Peking Opera troupe, etc. Beijing Peking Opera troupe established in 1979, came from the Mei Lan Feng, Shang Xiao Yan, Cheng Yan Qiu and Xun Hui Sheng, “The Four Famous Performers” genre troupe and the original Beijing Peking Opera troupe. The original Beijing Peking Opera troupes main actors during this merger were, Ma Lian Liang, Zhang Jun Qiu, Tan Fu Ying, Qiu Sheng Rong and Zhao Yan Xia. The style and genre of these maestro, their historic achievements, stage and musical arts makes Beijing Peking Opera troupe the forefront of the arts. For tens of years this troupe has left an impression around the world with generations of excellent stage performances. The operas so well known and famous include; Gui Fei Zui Jiu (The high ranked imperial concubine always in the pot), Tian Nu San Hua (The girl from the sky dispels flower), Si Lang Tan Mu (The fourth son visits his mother), Xi Xiang Ji (Western wing rooms’ memories), Sun Wu Kong San Da Bai Gu Jing(Monkey’s fights and hits the lady spirit three times), etc. All these operas are the Beijing Peking troupe’s traditional reserved operas. In recent years as peoples living standards increase and peoples tastes change, the troupe adjusts and develops new operas to their tastes, such as serial opera performances like; Zai Xiang Liu Guo (Prime minister of feudal China, crooked Liu). This is an opera whose content expands to six separate stories. In the Opera the main character does not change but the adventure continues, talking about China’s Qing Dynasty Prime Ministers’ Liu Yong and He Shen with the Emperor Qian Long. The plot is quite humorous with recitals, songs and dancing in the form of Chinese Kung Fu or Chinese Martial Arts or Chinese Martial Arts is wonderful. The stage decoration to show Beijing City’s very vigorous detailed majestic and beautiful places has the characters in such locations.  This opera is one that is not easy to compare within recent years.

Cai Wen Ji (Name) Tells the story of a Chinese ladies poetic devious fate with beautiful aria and appealing scenarios.