Study On The Modern Opera Improvement Movement

As an important part of literature improvement in social transformation context, the modern operaimprovement movement not only involved a full-scale change of opera ideas, opera creation and theatricalarts, but also accelerated the modern transformation of playwrights, actors, audiences, critics and operaoperators.The modern opera improvement movement caused mainly by three factors, namely thedevelopment of modern opera itself, the thought of bourgeoisie enlightening and updating populace and thehuge impact from literature ideas of western drama.The modern opera improvement movement should beanalyzed mainly from the self-realization and consciousness of opera in the context of enlightenment andsaving the nation from extinction, the different range of visions about paperwork and stage work ofreformed opera, the reciprocal penetration of freehand and realistic from opera and drama as well as theimpact from media power of discourse on opera improvement movement. As a kind of activity, literature ismade up of four key elements, namely world, authors, writings and readers. Therefore, the modern operaimprovement movement should be studied from times context, improvement camps, penetration of operaand drama along with audience and media.Macroscopically, if the modern opera improvement movement was thought of as a completeliterature phenomena, it was necessary to analyse in depth the background of social culture and literaturethought of that times, the changes of internal and external factors form opera improvement as well as thewhole process of beginning and decline of improvement movement. The collapse of nationalself-confidence was a prominent characteristic in the whole history course of modern times and theinstrumental self-realization of the modern opera improvement movement became an inexorable trend forthat era so that the necessity and possibility of improvement became the core problem of discussing themodern opera improvement movement.What were impacts from modern drama on Chinese opera and whatwere influences from Chinese opera on modern drama could be answered through analyzing the followingfactors: the proportion of speaking and singing in modern opera, the breakthrough and observance ofrhythm, the observance degree of storyline and the intensification for scenery, and so on.Throughcomparing the opera improvement theories of politicians and thinkers with playwrights and artists, thedifferent states from different camps of improvement movement could be distinguished more clearly. On the microcosmic side, the study keystones included the subject contents of opera writings and the forms ofimprovement operas that include system structure, language style and stage art. Through summarizing thecontestations of new and old opera in improvement movement, the impacts from media and the aftereffectsof improvement movement, the modern opera improvement movement could be further understood.The participators of the modern opera improvement mainly included three classes. The first was thethinkers and politicians who directly initiated and promoted opera improvement thought, such as LiangQichao and Chen Duxiu. They had a decisive impact on the course of the improvement movement throughstrongly initiating and programming opera improvement. The second was the actors and artists who took upopera as their career, such as Wang Xiaonong and Mei Lanfang. They substantially propelled thedevelopment of opera art in modern times and then became the backbone applying opera improvementtheory. The third was the opera theorists such as Wu Mei and Qi Rushan. They conducted and plottedperformances and participated in play creation and made historical contributions to the theory summary andpractice of improved operas. Modern intellectuals had no other choice but to reform because self–reliancehad become their core idea. The modern opera improvement movement had attracted a great deal ofattention to opera art in the intellectual circle.Modern improved opera gradually engendered a dramatized tendency, which mainly could besummarized as follows: talking was more numerous in the opera and the importance of singing haddeclined; rhythm had been broken or hadn't been kept; performance became more true-life and true-lifescenery was utilized widely; pace speeded up and play paid more attention to storyline; language styleproduced a combination of old and new or Chinese and Western elements; the role of play and director wasgradually enhanced. We should thoroughly treat the evolution of Chinese modern opera because opera anddrama interacted with each other. In fact, opera and drama never stopped penetrated each other and finallythey got mutual development.The final aim of the modern opera improvement movement was to create the"new operas"that keptabreast of the times. The so-called"new operas"was mainly to make innovations in the content of operafor reformists and revolutionaries, borrow fashionable opera form for artists and actors and go after newsense of amusement for audiences. In fact, the progress of opera improvement movement need continuallybalance the relationships of three kinds of needs, namely political propaganda, innovation of art form and revolution of amusement means.Modern mass media guided the modernization process of traditional opera and constantly changedthe relations among actors, audiences, theaters and plays etc. and the appearance of operas. Modern mediatechnology such as publishing and photograph not only enlarged the scope and freedom degree of operaspread, but also strengthened the closeted tendency of opera creation. As a whole, thinkers initiated andleaded social thought of opera improvement through media, creation attitude and skill of playwrightsfollowed the needs of mass media, reputation of artists always were dominated by media and audiencestook the amusement as the guidance.In the 1900s, although the intellectuals like Liang Qichao always criticized Chinese opera, they atleast thought if old operas were reformed, they could became the tools to enlighten populace. The viewsuddenly changed during the New Culture Movement, appearing the school of new youth calling for theabolition of operas and taking an overwhelming advantage in the public opinion. In the 1920s, the attitudeto traditional opera gave birth to differences within the camp of the New Culture Movement. Those peopleinitiating Chinese opera movement confirmed the value of Chinese traditional opera, and tried to explorehow to build Chinese opera with national characteristics. In the 1930s, playdom of the left wing asserted toutilize operas to affect populace in order to further propagate revolution and wage social struggle.Moreover, the performance of Mei Lanfang and Chen Yanqiu etc. went off well in Europe, America andJapan. These factors mentioned above made the circle of literature and art rethink the art value oftraditional opera. In the 1920s and 1930s, after the modern opera improvement movement declined, thecircle of drama and opera began to study opera more rationally, which deepened the result of the modernopera improvement movement by objective.Currently, it is obvious to all that opera is declining. How to overcome the difficult position affectingthe healthy development of opera can find references from the modern opera improvement movement.Summarizing the experiences and lessons of opera development during the modern opera improvementmovement can provide reference for the prosperity of the contemporary opera.