Shaoxing Opera

Shaoxing Opera is a newcomer among the Chinese local operas. It developed from local musical plays that used only the ban-clapper as the accompaniment in East China's Zhejiang Province. As the province belonged to the Yue State in the ancient times, it is popularly known as Yue opera.

Shaoxing Opera has a history of more than 80 years, and has its origins in a rough and ready kind of drama told by actors in fields. At the turn of the century, this basic drama began to make its way from the fields to the stage, and developed from a small group of actors to larger and larger troupes accompanied by musicians.

The popularity of this art form began to grow in 1916, when it was performed in Shanghai to large audiences of Shaoxing origin. Gradually, first string instruments and later other instruments were added to the orchestra, although the music was still based on the same Shaoxing melodies. The performances were, in fact, very successful.

In 1923, the training of female actors for this art form was set up. Since 1928, the Shaoxing opera troupes, consisting of solely female actors, began their performances in Shanghai. In a few years, females impersonating males had become the most important feature of this opera form, and at the same time the yue opera became well known all over China. In the Qing dynasty China (1644-1911) mixed troupes consisting of both male and female actors had been prohibited, and even in Peking opera, the lady-actors were not allowed to enter the stage together with men before 1930.

From the 1940s on, Shaoxing Opera developed a great deal and the melodies were enriched, and performances enhanced. It was a period of great innovation, and many famous actors established reputations at the time. One of these actors was Yuan Xuefen. She became famous for her performances of female characters that were decent and kind-hearted, but suffered tragic fates nonetheless.

Characteristics
It was derived from a kind of story-singing. At first, it was performed with a small drum and hardwood clappers for rhythm, and later choral and orchestral accompaniment was added. It drew some musical elements from other operas and subsequently formed its own characteristics.

Shaoxing Opera is noted for the lyricism of its melodies, and singing is a dominant part of it. Its tunes are sweet and beautiful and the performance vivid and full of local color. And as the opera has grown, its basis in reality and everyday life as well as the use of colloquial language has remained strong.

Originally Yue opera was only performed by males and then changed to all female performances. After 1949, males and females work together. With the entry of television and movies into family entertainment in the lives of people in Zhejiang Province and neighboring provinces and cities, the number of Yue opera performances are on the decline.

Besides, Yue opera is sung in local dialect and may not be understood by people from other parts of the country. As a result, Yue opera still remains as a local opera. However, it is very popular in countryside, especially during festivals such as the Spring Festival. Open-air performances are commonplace with crowds gathering in a large square, sitting or standing, watching and listening to the actors and actresses.

The texts of Yue opera are based on romantic love stories, and they do not include acrobatics or fighting scenes. In Yue opera, stage properties and light effects are used and the costumes imitate the light-colored clothes, fashionable at the beginning of this century in China. The most famous plays performed in Shaoxing style are "Butterfly Lovers", which is a kind of Chinese version of "Romeo and Juliet", and the love dramas "A Dream of Red Mansions" and "The Romance of the West Chamber ".

Every play of Yue opera is divided into several acts, each of which depicts an inseparable part of the whole story. The ending is usually a happy one.

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