The Revival Of Actresses In Late Qing And Early Republican Period

The return on stage of actresses has been a major changed in the history of modern Chinese drama. Female acting has a long history and played a very significant role throughout the development of Chinese theatre. However, during the Qing Dynasty women's performances were banned and actresses virtually disappeared. Between the end of the Qing Dynasty and the early years of the Republican period, actresses remerged and their roles went through a new phase of development that enriched the shows of modern theatre. Such a comeback was a dynamic process which followed a peculiar evolutionary path. It can be summarized into three stages:reappearance, growth and revival. The success of actresses was by no means occasional; in fact, it was brought about by several factors. The relaxation of the ban on women's performances and the lease of special environments; the emergence of female audiences and a change in aesthetic tastes; the substantial support from all sections of society and the role of media; the cultural roots of female performing and the maturation of their artistic skills. The success of actresses delivered an outstanding contribution to the development of drama. In particular, it elevated the artistic status of the dan role and upset gender hierarchies on stage. A woman-centered repertory progressively grew and, together with the female characters performed by men, created a new momentum for the dan roles. Actresses also laid the foundation for the rise of contemporary drama. Their endeavors for the enhancements of both the content and the form of acting were fundamental to the development of contemporary drama. Actresses broadened the expressive power of drama in aspects such as singing, acting and psychological rendition. Obviously, the actresses didn't occur without malpractices. At times they lacked clear self-consciousness and had a very brief artistic life. In some respects, they exerted some negative influences on the development of theatre, not only because they led to a decrease in the staging of large portion of the repertory, but also because many special performing skills quickly degenerated. These same issues account for the rapid decline of actresses. Even so, the social status and image that actresses have achieved in the mind of today's people are unshakeable - another fact mirroring the progress of contemporary Chinese society.