Kunqu Opera

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Kunqu Opera

Applicant: Hunan Province

Project No.: 145

Project No.: Ⅳ - 1

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: Traditional Drama

Region: Hunan Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Hunan Province

Protected by: Hunan Kunqu Opera Troupe

Introduction to Kunqu Opera:

Applicant: Hunan Province

Kunqu Opera, also known as Kunqiang, Kunshan opera and Kunqu Opera, is a new kind of vocal opera developed from southern opera to Kunshan in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, combined with local music, song and dance and language. In the early Ming Dynasty, "Kunshan tune" was formed in Kunshan area. During the Jiajing period, through the innovation of Wei Liangfu and others, Kunshan tune absorbed the advantages of Beiqu opera, Haiyan tune and Yiyang tune, forming a euphemistic, delicate and flowing style of "Shuimo tune". Kunqu opera has basically taken shape. Liang Chenyu brought the legend Huan Sha Ji to the stage in the form of Kunqu Opera, which made Kunqu Opera, originally mainly used for singing, enter the field of drama performance and further expand its influence. During the Wanli period, Kunqu Opera gradually spread from Jiangsu and Zhejiang to all parts of the country. Kunqu Opera flourished from the beginning of Tianqi in Ming Dynasty to the end of Kangxi in Qing Dynasty. After the year of Qianlong in Qing Dynasty, Kunqu Opera gradually declined. Since the birth of the people's Republic of China, Kunqu art has taken a turn for the better. The state has successively established seven professional Kunqu troupes with independent organizational system. At present, Kunqu Opera is mainly performed by professional Kunqu opera troupes, and relevant performances are mostly concentrated in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Beijing, Hunan and other places.

Kunqu Opera is a highly literati art. Many dramatists engaged in Kunqu Opera repertoire creation in Ming and Qing dynasties have made great literary achievements. Pipa Ji, Peony Pavilion, Changsheng hall, Mingfeng Ji, jade hairpin Ji, Hongli Ji, Shuihu Ji, Lankeshan and shi5guan are all representative operas of Kunqu Opera, among which the first three have full or nearly full gongchi scores. After the middle of Qing Dynasty, Kunqu opera was mainly performed in the form of zazixi, and more than 400 of them have been preserved so far. The new repertoire of Kunqu Opera includes the remains of the Southern Tang Dynasty, the story of my husband, Sima Xiangru and Ban Zhao.

After a long period of stage practice, Kunqu opera has achieved great achievements in performing arts, with highly integrated performing means such as song, dance, introduction and dialogue. With the all-round development of performing arts, the division of roles in Kunqu opera has become more and more detailed. The main roles include Laosheng, Xiaosheng, Dan, tie, laodan, Wai, Mo, Jing, Fu, Chou, etc. The roles of all walks of life formed certain procedures and skills in the performance, which had an important impact on the formation and development of Peking Opera and other local operas. The melody of Kunqu Opera is graceful and elegant, and the singing skills are standard and proficient. The wide application of songban, the way of pronunciation and enunciation, and the artistic style make Kunqu music obtain the artistic effect of "graceful and charming, singing and sighing".

Kunqu opera has a long history and a wide and far-reaching influence. It is the crystallization of traditional culture and a model of opera performance. Kunqu opera has exquisite artistic form and profound connotation. Due to its unique cultural value, Kunqu opera was selected as the first batch of "representative works of human oral and intangible heritage" by UNESCO in 2001.

In the late Qing Dynasty, Kunqu Opera gradually declined. After the founding of the people's Republic of China, it was once revitalized. In recent years, with the decline of traditional opera performance in the city, Kunqu Opera is facing the dilemma of survival, and the number of actors and audiences is shrinking. In order to survive and develop Kunqu Opera, there are many urgent problems to be solved.