Chinese Opera And State Myth

Modern Chinese opera became an important form of literature and art as the result of innovation of traditional Chinese opera leaded by Chinese communist from Yan'an period to Cultural Revolution period. Yongko drama and model drama, the two styles of modern Chinese opera made particular status in the development of Chinese opera, even in the history of Chinese social political culture in the 20th century. Modern Chinese opera's becoming mature and important, was not the necessary result of the inner evolution of Chinese opera, nor the incidental ending of picturing the image of state culture by Chinese government, but involved a series of questions about Chinese opera,modern state and the relationship between them. With the theme of"Chinese opera and state myth", the dissertation focuses its attention on the complicated nexus of modern Chinese opera and the building of modern state. Such questions are included: what did modern Chinese opera do? Why it was Chinese opera and modern life material that established state myth? How did modern Chinese opera establish state myth? How were Chinese opera and modern life changed by the state when it established its myth? How did the folk from which Chinese opera came into being and grew up accept modern Chinese opera? How did modern Chinese opera influence the ideology of the folk and its daily life? Trying to answer all these questions will bring the study of modern Chinese opera into a great space and enter the common argumentation about the Chinese modern social politics and thinking culture, while exceeding the former study limited to the analysis on the inner of modern Chinese opera or incidental to the superficial discussion of social history, thus make the specialized study contact with the public field of thinking culture.The first two chapters of this dissertation give a definition of modern Chinese opera, and argue generally the tradition and foundation of modern Chinese opera as state myth. Then see about the character of modern Chinese opera, which is said representing modern life. The ideology of modern Chinese opera will be found, that is writing memory of revolution and utopia image of economy and society. So it is clear that in the script and stage of modern Chinese opera, there were little reality.The last three chapters combine history and logic. Firstly, figure the development of modern Chinese opera from Yan'an period to Culture Revolution period. If yongko drama is said to be the success first time of mass literature and art in China in the 20th century, model drama is on the acme of it. And Chinese mass literature and art in the 20th century always contained the essence of state myth. Yongko drama and model drama are all state myth. But the representation and operation of state myth are different in the two periods. It should be noticed that mass literature and art is not something having existed or belonged to the populace, but waiting to be created. When came into the eyeshot of political power to produce mass literature and art, folk culture needed to be changed and ended its former appearance. Yongko drama in Yan'an is the model of alteration of the folk culture, so are modern appearances of Beijing opera and Qinqiang in Yan'an. The idea and behavior of innovate traditional Chinese opera were carried out through the evolution of modern Chinese opera. It can be said that modern Chinese opera is the very text indicating the destiny of Chinese folk culture in the 20th century. Model drama in Culture Revolution, on the acme of mass literature and art, was also on the acme of modern Chinese opera, so was on the acme of changing the folk culture. Though was weaker than power of politics and intellectual, the folk showed its strong strength of self-conservation.Yongko drama and model drama exhibit directly and vividly the relationship of theatre and daily life interweaving society, politics and culture. The vigorous movement of new yongko in Yan'an and popularizing model drama made Yan'an and the whole China a huge stage. The performance of yongko drama and model drama in square made the stage extending. The performance was not only an affair of literature and art, but penetrated and influenced the daily life of the populace, which led to performance looked like life and life looked like performance. While stage and life were interweaving, it was difficult to tell phantasm and reality. So the state myth made by political power infiltrate the folk and control the populace with special words, actions, and rites. All these resulted in the sameness of performance and politics. So performance was politics while politics was performance. It is interesting that model drama, which is on the acme of modern Chinese opera in the last century was broken up with the incessant revolution of politics and the severe ruling of performance.