The Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou is a comprehensive cultural venue built to commemorate Tang Xianzu, one of the world’s hundred great cultural figures and a master of Ming‑dynasty drama in China. It is also one of Jiangxi Province’s ten major memorial halls dedicated to historical luminaries.
Opera Trivia | The “Flower vs. Elegance” Controversy in Opera History
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2023-02-28
/ The Controversy Between Elegant and Popular Styles / During the Qianlong era of the Qing dynasty, Beijing became a vibrant hub for theatrical performance, drawing together a rich array of operatic styles and vocal traditions from both the north and the south. This period witnessed a rivalry between the “Huabu” (popular) and “Yabu” (refined) schools of opera, an episode historically known as the “Huayi Contention.” At its core, this contest represented the challenge and assault mounted by the Huabu vocal styles against the Yabu Kunqu opera, which had long held primacy on the stage. With their distinctive qualities—“plain and straightforward lyrics” that were easy to understand and “vigorous, rousing melodies” that enlivened the ear—the Huabu forms won widespread popular favor, gradually supplanting Kunqu’s former dominant position in the world of Chinese theater. (Of course, even among the Huabu styles themselves, competition and shifting fortunes were ever present.)
/ Elegant Department / During the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty, Kunqu opera was designated as the “Elegant School,” distinguished from the “Floral School.” From the mid-Ming to the early Qing, Kunqu reigned supreme on the theatrical stage, celebrated for its exquisite vocal style and rich repertoire, and was revered as the “orthodox music of refined elegance,” thus earning its place within the “Elegant School.”
/ Flower Section / Originally a term used to designate various performing‑arts troupes, it later came to refer broadly to all local vocal‑style opera genres other than the Kunshan style. Because these vocal styles were often mixed and impure, consisting largely of rustic tunes and popular songs, they were collectively labeled “Huabu,” meaning “mixed” or “varied,” and also known as “Luan Tan.” As Li Dou notes in his Yangzhou Huafang Lu: “The Huabu comprises the Jingqiang, Qinqiang, Yiyangqiang, Bangziqiang, Luoluqiang, and Erhuangdiao—collectively called Luan Tan.”
Although the various local vocal styles were not held in high regard by the scholar-officials, they were warmly embraced by the common audience and, through the diligent cultivation of folk performers, gradually developed their own distinctive singing techniques and dramatic structures. During the Kangxi and Qianlong reigns of the Qing dynasty, these regionally popular vocal traditions began to flourish, giving rise to a vibrant surge in the emergence of diverse local operas.
/ Elegant Department / During the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty, Kunqu opera was designated as the “Elegant School,” distinguished from the “Floral School.” From the mid-Ming to the early Qing, Kunqu reigned supreme on the theatrical stage, celebrated for its exquisite vocal style and rich repertoire, and was revered as the “orthodox music of refined elegance,” thus earning its place within the “Elegant School.”
/ Flower Section / Originally a term used to designate various performing‑arts troupes, it later came to refer broadly to all local vocal‑style opera genres other than the Kunshan style. Because these vocal styles were often mixed and impure, consisting largely of rustic tunes and popular songs, they were collectively labeled “Huabu,” meaning “mixed” or “varied,” and also known as “Luan Tan.” As Li Dou notes in his Yangzhou Huafang Lu: “The Huabu comprises the Jingqiang, Qinqiang, Yiyangqiang, Bangziqiang, Luoluqiang, and Erhuangdiao—collectively called Luan Tan.”
Although the various local vocal styles were not held in high regard by the scholar-officials, they were warmly embraced by the common audience and, through the diligent cultivation of folk performers, gradually developed their own distinctive singing techniques and dramatic structures. During the Kangxi and Qianlong reigns of the Qing dynasty, these regionally popular vocal traditions began to flourish, giving rise to a vibrant surge in the emergence of diverse local operas.
/ Kunqu and Yijing Compete for Supremacy / From the mid‑Kangxi period to the early Qianlong era, Kunqu and Yiyang opera stood on equal footing. The highly accomplished Yiyang school vied with Kunqu for supremacy; its Beijing offshoot, Gaoqiang (Jingqiang), gained the upper hand, even eclipsing Kunqu and giving rise to a situation in which “six renowned troupes rotated through nine performance venues,” earning the favor of the ruling authorities. Once it entered the imperial court, Jingqiang swiftly evolved into an official court vocal style, losing its vigorous, fresh character and gradually becoming refined and elegant—only to decline in the end.
/ The Beijing–Qinhuangdao Rivalry / In the mid-Qianlong period, Qin opera flourished and spread throughout the country. Local Qin‑opera performers, led by Wei Changsheng, converged in Beijing, making Qin opera a formidable rival to both the Beijing style and Kunqu opera. With its performances excelling in both artistry and spectacle, Qin opera won widespread acclaim, giving rise to a thriving scene of Qin‑opera productions in Beijing’s theaters. After eclipsing the Beijing style, Qin opera became the most influential theatrical tradition in the capital, once again challenging Kunqu’s dominant position on the stage—this time following the earlier ascendancy of the Beijing style. In an effort to safeguard Kunqu and the Beijing style, the Qing court issued two edicts prohibiting Qin‑opera troupes from performing in Beijing and compelling Qin‑opera artists to switch to either Kunqu or Yiyang opera. Thus, the rivalry between Beijing and Qin opera was brought to an end through imperial intervention.
/ The Hui Troupes Enter Beijing / In the final years of the Qianlong reign, the four great Anhui troupes—Sanqing, Sixi, Chuntai, and Hechun—brought the Erhuang opera to Beijing. Over time, they absorbed the strengths of other vocal styles and theatrical traditions; in particular, through the sustained efforts of performers from Anhui and Hubei provinces, they fused Xipi with Erhuang, giving rise to a new artistic form that gradually evolved into the immensely powerful Peking Opera. Meanwhile, the “Huabu” faction continued to flourish, eventually gaining an overwhelming advantage and securing the decisive victory in the “Contest Between Huabu and Yabu.” Victory.
/ The Beijing–Qinhuangdao Rivalry / In the mid-Qianlong period, Qin opera flourished and spread throughout the country. Local Qin‑opera performers, led by Wei Changsheng, converged in Beijing, making Qin opera a formidable rival to both the Beijing style and Kunqu opera. With its performances excelling in both artistry and spectacle, Qin opera won widespread acclaim, giving rise to a thriving scene of Qin‑opera productions in Beijing’s theaters. After eclipsing the Beijing style, Qin opera became the most influential theatrical tradition in the capital, once again challenging Kunqu’s dominant position on the stage—this time following the earlier ascendancy of the Beijing style. In an effort to safeguard Kunqu and the Beijing style, the Qing court issued two edicts prohibiting Qin‑opera troupes from performing in Beijing and compelling Qin‑opera artists to switch to either Kunqu or Yiyang opera. Thus, the rivalry between Beijing and Qin opera was brought to an end through imperial intervention.
/ The Hui Troupes Enter Beijing / In the final years of the Qianlong reign, the four great Anhui troupes—Sanqing, Sixi, Chuntai, and Hechun—brought the Erhuang opera to Beijing. Over time, they absorbed the strengths of other vocal styles and theatrical traditions; in particular, through the sustained efforts of performers from Anhui and Hubei provinces, they fused Xipi with Erhuang, giving rise to a new artistic form that gradually evolved into the immensely powerful Peking Opera. Meanwhile, the “Huabu” faction continued to flourish, eventually gaining an overwhelming advantage and securing the decisive victory in the “Contest Between Huabu and Yabu.” Victory.
Source: Kunqu Opera Culture
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