Taiwanese opera

Taiwanese (folk) opera (Chinese: 歌仔戲; pinyin: gēzǎixì; POJ: koa-á-hì; literally "song-drama") is the only form of Han traditional drama known to have originated in Taiwan. The language used is a stylized combination of both literary and colloquial registers of Taiwanese. Its earliest form adopted elements of folk songs from Zhangzhou, Fujian, China. The story elements are traditionally based on folk tales of the Hokkien (Minnan) region.

Taiwanese opera was later exported to other Min Nan-speaking areas.

In the early 1980s Taiwanese opera was brought to the television audience, with Iûⁿ Lē-hoa (楊麗花) as its popular face. The artistic elements remained largely traditional, however.

Taiwanese opera, like other forms of Chinese opera and theater around the world, often traditionally uses cross-dressed performers (反串; fǎnchùan; hóan-chhòan), specifically women portraying men's roles in the case of Taiwanese opera.

Modern and experimental forms show some propensity for syncretism. Western instruments such as the saxophone and guitar have been used in some performances. Loose Western adaptations have included Nikolai Gogol's The Government Inspector [1]. Perhaps due to the influence of the Taiwanese localization movement, stories set in Taiwan, as well as aboriginal characters and stories, have been developed in recent years. Taiwanese forms of the Hakka tea-picking opera show some influence. Fans of the opera attribute its continuing relevance to a willingness of performers to adapt to modern times in terms of style and artistic diversity.

History

Origins

Taiwanese opera is the only form of Han traditional drama known to have originated in Taiwan, specifically the Yilan region. In the early stages, most Han immigrants in Yilan were from Zhangzhou, Fujian. Koa-á were story-telling ballads spoken in Min Nan. Each line could have five- or seven- characters, and every four lines constituted a paragraph.

Performers and roles

The costume of Sheng.

Male Leads (Sheng)

These characters are gentle and brave.There are two male leads, laosheng and xiaosheng. Laosheng is a older male lead. Old shengs have a chastity and decency dispostion.Young male characters are known as xiaosheng.

The costume of Dan.

Female Leads (Dan)

In Taiwanese opera there are four subtypes in dan roles. Laodan is a dignified older role and she is a stright arrow.Laodanreveals sentiment of the affection to the children so she takes sides with her children.

Performance elements

Script

There is no script in Taiwanese opera. In the past actors were illiteracy so they did not have the script. Xi Xian Sheng, such as a director, told the story. Before the proformance Xi Xian Sheng gives an outline and distribute characters.

Characters

There are three roles in Taiwanese opera, Sheng, Dan, and Chou.

Stage properties and figures

Stage properties and figures are a part of dancing. Taiwanese opera are not graphic. Sometimes a chair in Taiwanese opera stands for a fence or a bridge. Rasing red flags stands for fire, rasing blue flags stands for water, and rasing black flags stands for wind. There are many types of figures:

• Entrances and Exits
• Pulling a Mountain
• Walking a Circle
• The Kneeling Walk
• Small,Quick Steps
• Sweeping Hair
• The Bat Jump
• The Vertigines Gesture
• The Water Sleeves

Voices

The most important in Taiwanes opera is the music for voices.

Instruments

The use of a wide range of traditional musical instruments in Taiwanese opera.

• Ye Hu (a two-stringed Chinese mandolin with a sound box made out of a coconut shell)
• Da Guang Sian (a large, two-stringed Chinese mandolin)
• Suo Na (horn as well as horizontal and vertical bamboo flutes)
• Jing Hu (a two-stringed high-register Chinese mandolin)

Performance Types

Three-Role tea-picking Opera

The three-role opera is known as the story of tea-farmer Zhang Sanlang performed by one clown and two female roles and the plot and the singing are fixed. The three-role tea-picking opera is simple and does not have official stage.They bulit the stage before they perform.

See also

• Culture of Taiwan

External links

• TaiwanBrief introduction to Taiwan(in English)
• Taiwanese Opera WebDex Brief introduction to Taiwanese Opera, photo gallery, online music, et al. (in English)
• Taiwanese Opera Introduction, photo gallery, online music, forum, and more resources. (in Mandarin)

• Taiwan Yearbook: Culture (Government Information Office)