*Cantonese Opera

50.*Cantonese Opera

Nominating Units: Guangdong Province Institute of Art, Home Affairs Bureau of Hongkong Special Administrative Region, Bureau of Culture of Macao Special Administrative Reagion, City of Guangzhou and City of Foshan

Cantonese Opera is prevalent mainly in areas where people speak the cantonese dialect such as Guangdong Province, the southern part of Guangxi Zhuang Atonomous Region, Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR. Towards the end of the Ming Dynasty and at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Yiyangqiang (singing tunes of Jiangxi Opera) and Kunqiang (singing tunes of Kun Opera) was introduced into Guangdong Province. In the Qing Dynasty when Emperor Xianfeng and Emperor Daoguang took the throne, Cantonese Opera was formed by the local troupe who used “Banghuang”(Xipi and Erhuang) as the basic tunes. The troupe absorbed Gaoqiang (high-pitched voice), Kunqiang, the folk musical compositions in Guangdong Province and the then fashionable tunes, using“Xipengguanhua” (offi cial language in the matshed theatre) mixed with the Cantonese dialect. Around the year 1912, the language spoken in Cantonese Opera is the Cantonese dialect and the system of the opera has been perfected: folk canzonet was introduced; and falsetto was replaced by common voice.

Traditionally, Cantonese Opera had 18 plays (“Jianghu Shibaben” as it is called) such as Yipengxue, Erdumei, Sanguantang, Sijinshi and Wudengke. Later, there appeared a “New Jianghu Shibaben” including Huanghuashan, Xihehui, Suangjieyuan, Xuechongyuan and a “Dapaichang Shibaben” including Suwumuyang (a story about Suwu herding sheep) and Daiyuzanghua (a story about Lin Daiyu burying the flowers). There are other representative operas like Baijinlong, Huoshao’epanggong, Pingguibieyao, Baoliandeng, Luochengxieshu and Fengyiting. The basic singing tunes of Cantonese Opera are Bangzi and Erhuang, combining Gaoqiang, Kunqiang, Guangdong Province folk rap and ditties. The musical instruments in Cantonese Opera were originally Erxian, Yueqin, Sanxian, Zhutiqin and Xiao, but later absorbed some new-styled instruments.

There were originally ten types of roles: Mo (middle-aged male characters), Sheng (male characters), Dan (female characters), Jing (“painted face” characters), Chou (clown), Wai, Xiao, Fu, Tie and Za, while later reduced to six types: Wenwusheng, Xiaosheng, Zhengyinhuadan, Erbanghuadan, Chousheng and Wusheng. The performance is free and modest, owning such stunts as Danjiao, Huasuo, Yunyan, Xiaotiao and Niuyao. The acrobatic fighting is based on Nanpai kungfu. Bazi, Shouqiao, Shaolin Boxing, demanding Yizigong and Gaotaigong are played excellently. The makeup the Cantonese Opera is full of local flavor with simple but rich colored makeups as well as gorgeous Guangdong Province embroidery costumes.(https://www.daowen.com)

Widely absorbing the local art forms of Cantonese Music, Guangdong Province embroidery, ivory carving, ceramics and plaster moulding, Cantonese Opera fully embodies the local cultural traditon of Guangdong Province sub-ethnic community. While it radiates to the whole globe, Cantonese Opera has strong cultural cohesion among the Chinese people all over the world. However, it is shrinking and on the edge of danger and should be protected as soon as possible.

Cantonese Opera was selected into the list of the first batch of state-level intangible cultural heritage in 2006.