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 | Does the term “Liyuan disciple” refer not to opera performers but to instrumentalists? And where did this designation actually originate?
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2022-12-22
Pear Orchard
disciple
disciples of the Pear Garden
“Liyuan disciples” originally did not refer to opera performers, but rather to instrumental musicians. According to a passage in the “Old Book of Tang—Treatise on Rites and Music,” Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Longji, was fond of music, well-versed in musical theory, and particularly admired the refined “Fadian” style. Consequently, he selected 300 musicians and had them trained exclusively in the imperial palace’s Liyuan Garden to perform the “Fadian.” Li Longji personally supervised their instruction and styled these musicians as “the emperor’s Liyuan disciples”—thus giving rise to the term “Liyuan disciples.”
Later, the term “Liyuan disciples” came to be used generically for musicians; for instance, in Liu Yuxi’s verse, “The Liyuan disciples summon the poet’s words, yet the jade branch, still unknown, leaves the soul shattered,” the phrase “Liyuan disciples” refers to ordinary musicians. As time went on, the meaning of “Liyuan disciples” gradually shifted: during the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, the renowned dramatist Gao Zecheng wrote in his play The Lute that “Today, the Liyuan disciples perform and sing The Lute.” From this we can see that by then the term no longer denoted instrumentalists but had come to designate actors in Chinese opera.
China has another term for the world of traditional opera: “Liyuan.” The origin of this name is rooted in a story: during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), Emperor Xuanzong—known as Tang Minghuang—was an ardent patron of music, dance, and opera. He kept over a thousand singers and dancers at court. Within the imperial palace’s forbidden garden stood a vast orchard planted with more than a hundred pear trees, called the “Liyuan”—though it was far from being merely a fruit grove.
The Liyuan featured opulent facilities such as palaces, wine pavilions, and ball courts, serving as a venue for the entertainment of the imperial family and high-ranking officials. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty gathered these performers at the Liyuan to rehearse song, dance, and opera, both to enliven palace banquets and to provide his own daily amusement. He even personally assumed the role of the “Cui Gong” of the Liyuan—akin to today’s school principal.
The Liyuan featured opulent facilities such as palaces, wine pavilions, and ball courts, serving as a venue for the entertainment of the imperial family and high-ranking officials. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty gathered these performers at the Liyuan to rehearse song, dance, and opera, both to enliven palace banquets and to provide his own daily amusement. He even personally assumed the role of the “Cui Gong” of the Liyuan—akin to today’s school principal.
This “Li Yuan” was, in historical terms, the largest institution for training performers. In addition to inviting specialized instructors, it also commissioned renowned scholars and literati of the time to compose programs; even such celebrated Tang‑dynasty poets as Li Bai and He Zhizhang penned works for the Li Yuan.
This place became a renowned historical training ground that brought together singing, dancing, and theatrical performance. Consequently, those who received their training in the “Li Yuan” were known as members of the “Li Yuan Guild,” and all who studied there were called “Li Yuan Disciples.”
This place became a renowned historical training ground that brought together singing, dancing, and theatrical performance. Consequently, those who received their training in the “Li Yuan” were known as members of the “Li Yuan Guild,” and all who studied there were called “Li Yuan Disciples.”
Tracing the origins of Peking Opera leads back to a place called “Liyuan”; hence, the name “Liyuan” has been passed down through generations. The opera community is thus referred to as the “Liyuan world,” and the profession itself is known as the “Liyuan trade.” Performers are called “Liyuan disciples,” while families with several generations devoted to this art are termed “Liyuan lineages.” In the past, the opera world was largely a hereditary vocation, with sons following in their fathers’ footsteps—thus perpetuating the tradition from one generation to the next. Because the family’s forebears were once performers in the Liyuan trade, the clan came to be known as a “Liyuan lineage.”
For example, consider the Mei family, the most celebrated lineage in the world of Peking Opera. The first-generation Mei Qiaoling was a dan performer; the second-generation Mei Zhufen also specialized in dan roles. Mei Yutian, Mei Lanfang’s uncle, served as the orchestra’s qin master. By the third generation, Mei Lanfang himself had become a renowned dan star. Mei Lanfang’s son, Mei Baojiu, and his daughter, Mei Baoyue, followed in their father’s footsteps: the former excelled in dan, while the latter mastered laosheng. Another case in point is the famed Tan family of the opera world. The first-generation Tan Zhi dao was a laodan; the second-generation Tan Xinpei sang laosheng; the third-generation Tan Xiaopei also performed laosheng; the fourth-generation Tan Fuying likewise specialized in laosheng; and the fifth-generation Tan Yuanshou became a versatile wu‑laosheng, capable of both martial and literary roles, while the sixth-generation Tan Xiaozeng, too, remained a laosheng.
Examples like this are countless in the world of Peking Opera; these are all renowned “families of the opera world,” and their disciples, naturally, are also “students of the opera world.”
Reference source: Kunqu Opera Culture Submissions welcome: 363036353@qq.com
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