Study Of "Model Opera"

This dissertation is divided into two parts. The first part discusses"Model Opera"concept, connotation, its origin, background and development, this part includes a brief introduction of Chinese ancient drama's development, Drama Reform in May 4th Movement, and analysis of theoretical points, advantages and disadvantages in May 4th Drama Movement. This part showed us the reason and results of some new drama's creation and old drama's decline, and introduced Ping Opera's reform during Yan'an Period that emphasizes on Yan'an Ping Opera Theater's creation and modern Peking Opera"Driven to Revolt"(Bi Shang Liangshan),"Mao Zedong's letter to the theater", and his"Speech for Yan'an Arts and Literature Meeting". Because of the close connection between later drama reform and Model Opera, the focus is on 1958 drama reform, introduced"Two Comments"effects on Model Opera in the atmosphere of"always keep class-struggle in mind". This article detailedly introduced model opera's creation environment, from the processing of several model operas discussed era background's impact on model opera. Some paragraphs are used to talk about JIANG Qing's relation with model opera; this is an unavoidable fact that can't be missed. Model Opera unified China arts and literature for ten years, and produced great impact on politics, culture and ideology, history and literature, economics and society, upper and lower classes. Its great surge is valuable for our further study. For a long time, people manipulated different reflections on its existence, and debates are held on this matter, too. This article commented on this, too. The article give a justified status for model opera's historical position:"Model Opera phenomenon needs our deep speculation, it is a result of Peking Opera's modernization, it is neither a product of Cultural Revolution nor production of JIANG Qing's sole efforts, it was kidnapped by Cultural Revolution, and lead to people's repulsion, but actually it is not model opera's mistake."The second part pointed out the shortcomings of Model Opera, which include theoretical fallacy, i.e."Three Stresses","Three Combinations","Two Reform"etc.; Mistakes appeared in operas, too, e. g."GAO Daquan"style hero, con character's demonization, basichumanities erasing, political tool creation etc.; whereas, Model opera's self value can not be erased.Model Opera based on traditional Peking Opera's reform, which breaks traditional prototype, choose practical subject that are a keen to daily life, colloquialism became read-sing processing's result, its wording is extremely rich, which produced inerasable characters. Model Opera produced quite a lot of characters that are up to people's taste, e. g. heroic characters that rich in legacy, and produced a lot of heroic mothers, they formed the core of Model Opera, so that its theme is presented. The article summarized Model Opera's artistic achievement: it preserved folk cultural tradition, fully utilized Peking Opera's traditional performance mechanism, its reading inherited and exceeded traditional Peking Opera, the unique wording-singing music system that produced by YU Hui-yong presented great importance in Model Opera's construction. Its artistic value not only showed its own attractiveness, and laid solid foundation for modern Peking Opera. The article provided exact name for Model Opera, because the name"Modern Opera"is not appropriate to artistic laws, it is necessary to recover its original appearance--- modern Peking Opera. This means to end the misused term"Model Opera". The second is to comment on Model Opera peacefully, although various problems raised upon Model Opera, it is good as a whole, it is an epic drama that centered on revolutionary people and people's revolution, the heroism and revolutionary idealism is well worthy of our publicizing.