Cantonese Opera – Recognizing the Traditional Art

Cantonese Opera film – White Snake

White Snake has been passed down orally since at least the Tang dynasty (618-907). It tells a story about a white snake who transformed into a young woman and fell in love with a man she met on the banks of Hangzhou’s West Lake, and they later got married. However, Fahai, a fanatical monk, separated them because he believed that a man and a snake could not fall in love. Fahai eventually imprisoned the White Snake under the Leifeng Pagoda.

 

Cantonese opera was inscribed onto the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in September 2009. It is the best-loved art form in the greater bay area.

Peking and Cantonese opera share the exact origins, and as a result, similar characters appear in both disciplines. The images above are from the “One hundred portraits of Peking opera characters,” late 19th-early 20th century, Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Red Boat Opera Company (紅船) was a group of traveling Cantonese opera singers who toured China in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

THE ROLES

Initially, Cantonese opera’s Xingdang classification, which refers to the different roles according to gender, status, and personalities, was similar to other genres. Before the 1930s, there were ten significant roles, but by the 1950s, liuzhuzhi, the six-pillar system, became firmly established. Each opera features six significant actors/actresses including:

 

1-WENWUSHENG (文武生)

Sheng is a male character who appears in operas of all historical periods; a civilized martial man, this role portrays as a clean-shaven scholar-warrior.

2-XIAOSHENG (小生)

Xiaosheng is a young and beardless male character. They wear paler make-up to represent their youth. These characters are often involved with beautiful young women.

3-ZHENGYIN HUADAN (正印花旦)

Hua Dan (Young Belle) is a role for a vivacious maiden, a young woman with a frank and open personality, or a woman of questionable character.

4-ERBANG HUADAN(二幫花旦)

Erbang Huadan is a supporting actress; could be an unmarried girl, an honorable lady, or an elder female actress playing the role of a mother. 

5-CHOUSHENG (丑生)

The Chou (the comic face represents a clown) is always a wise, funny, and chivalrous man and is sometimes of low social status. They portray various kinds of personalities, some are warm-hearted, simple, and sincere, while others might be sinister and mean.

6- WUSHENG (武生)

Wu Sheng’s roles are for male military characters who appear in battle scenes. A high level of martial arts skills is necessary to play this role. It requires vigorous exertions using powerful waist and leg movements. The actors also need to make resounding declamations.

CANTONESE opera in Guangzhou

The museum is a garden building with Lingnan characteristics. The museum houses more than 5,000 Cantonese opera-related collections.