A Primary Research On The Chinese Opera Of White Snake

In many local operas of China, the opera of "white snake" belongs to traditional repertoire, in this thesis, the discussion mainly includes the following two aspects:Longitudinally, the thesis clarifies the connection between the Leifeng Pagoda and the white snake and its development in the poetic dramas and folk art works of Qing dynasty. Specific to a particular local opera, the thesis investigates the evolution and differences in the history of its "white snake" operas.The thesis also discusses the differences between the "white snake" operas performed by Mei Lanfang and the traditional Kun opera, illustrates the adaptation and rehearsal of "white snake" written by Tian Han in Peking Opera. The thesis also points out the unique creation of "white snake" operas in Chuan opera and Wu opera on account of the difference in local cultural environment and natural environment.In conclusion, this thesis takes advantage of audio-visual meterials (audio, video and stills, etc.) and documents (script, playbill, memories, comments, etc.) in research method, relies mainly on the tale of "white snake" while making its offspring subsidiary, the extent and documentation in writing process is determined by the differences among local operas.