Modern Transformation Of Local Opera And Construction Of Regional Culture

The dissertation surveys the making of Xiang Opera from the late Qing period until the 1930s,when the regional society and culture underwent a process of modern transformation.In the middle and late Qing dynasty,local opera thrived in the expanding institutions and changing urban commercialization.During this period,the role of opera in the local elite discourse vacillated between vulgar entertainment and moral transformation.Local elite exclude the opera from the orthodoxy culture system, while at the same time habitually participated in theatrical activities.From late Qing to Early Republic,opera was included in the category of"culture"by the newly rising intellectuals.Accordingly,local opera had gained the cultural respectability but still not grown into a sophisticated theatrical system.Since 1920 when amateurs in Xianyin Qushe had created the term of Xiangju(Xiang opera),the local opera was deliberately interpreted as the representation of local tradition and culture,with its artistic essence and aesthetic characteristic being highlighted.Responding to the nationalism in 1930s,as a diverse group these new amateurs,players and the government worked together to initiate a series of Xiang opera reforms.As a result, the interior branches of local opera system were clarified;Xiang opera had become a distinct and elegant theatrical form,labeled as the"Provincial Essence",as well as a medium for revitalizing a great nation.In this process,different social groups participated,competing for redefinition and reinterpretation of local opera.Through their consolidation and refinement,Xiang opera moved toward three major directions: to an art-intrinsic genre of widely recognized cultural significance;to a popular form representing a distinctive regional culture;and to a useful vehicle serving for nationalist narrative and political propagandism.Hopefully,as an interpretation of social and cultural history,this dissertation would add a micro-perspective to our understanding of modern transformation of regional culture and the local history from late Qing to republican era.