Classification of Chinese drama
Since the establishment of the Drama Reform Committee in July of 1950, less than a year after Liberation,all Beijing opera plays have been divided into three categories that are based upon the thematic content of the plays and the historical period in which they were created.The first category,that of traditional plays (chuantongju/chuantongxi),includes all plays that were in performance before 1949 and were devised or written without the intention of conveying post-Liberation values and concerns.Some of them have been altered somewhat to remove or replace objectionable attitudes and situations,particularly those with overt erotic content. But the aestheti principles and performance techniques of all aspects of traditional Beijing opera performance are exemplified in the performance of these plays.
The second category is most often referred to as newly written historical plays (xinbian de lishiju/lishixi),though it is sometimes given broader names,such as newly written ancient plays (xinbian de gudaiju/gudaixi), or newly written ancient-costume plays (xinbian de guzhuangju/guzhuangxi). When the term "historical" is used,it is used loosely-although some of these plays do concern historical figures,many have well-known mythological heroes such as the Monkey King Sun Wukong and the legendary Judge Bao.Whether strictly historical or not theseplays have newly created plots, many of which are constructed to consciously embody contemporary values and concerns and all of which are set in the past.Although no newly written historical plays were produced from 1966 to 1976,from the beginning of the Cultural Revolution until the overthrow of the Gang of Four,they are currently a major focus for many Beijing opera playwrights.Because newly written historical plays are set in the past-usually the traditional Chinese past-the entire body of traditional performanc techniques may be utilized in their performance.Except for their thematic content, such plays are therefore often quite similar to traditional plays in both script and performance,and the descriptions of traditional aural performance in chapters 2-7 of this study apply in many respects to the performance of most newly written historical plays as well.
The final category of plays is termed contemporary plays (xiandaiju/xiandaixi).Like many newly written historical plays,contemporary plays consciously embody contemporary values and concerns.However,their plots and characters are all of the twentieth century.The aesthetic principles and performance techniques of traditional Beijing opera,developed for the presentation of plays concerning familiar characters in traditional Chinese society,are not necessarily directly applicable to the performance of contemporary plays.Contemporary plays in performance are experimental theatre pieces.Though they share the basic aesthetic aim of all Beijing opera plays,contemporary plays require the creative adaptation of aesthetic principles and the development of new performance techniques.The aural components of Beijing opera performance described in the chapters that follow are an important foundation to the aural performance of contemporary plays;however,theexperimental aspects of that performance exceed the scope of this study.
