The Emergence of Chinese Theatrical Arts, Essay Example

Theatre origins

The emergence of Chinese theatrical arts inspired by ancient Chinese religion and rituals gave birth to the Chinese theatres. For instance, shamanistic rites inspired performing arts such as plays and traditional songs. Different Chinese dynasties throughout the ages continued to support theatre culture. A good example may be the Song Dynasty whose reign led to massive growth of cities and commerce (Brandon 27) which in turn promoted the development of theatres.

Development of traditional theatre

Traditional Chinese theatres began during the Shang dynasty and have continued to develop through the ages to take its current form. The development of traditional theatres benefitted from transfer of power from one dynasty to the other because each dynasty made it own unique contributions (Brandon 36). For example, animal-movement dances were developed during the Shang Dynasty and this dance style eventually found its way into several theatre traditions in contemporary China.

Purpose of traditional theatre

As noted by Brandon (41), traditional theatres were important entertainment places where theatrical performances such as regional Chinese drama provided humor to the audience. On the other hand, they were significant places where the culture and traditional rituals were preserved and taught to the younger generation. Furthermore, the theatres brought together different ethical groups and theatre societies in China. Also, they were significant in enhancing creativity among members of the traditional society.

Traditional theatre forms or genres

Traditional Chinese theatre primarily consists of two forms which are drama theatre and musical theatre. Musical theatre supports different genres such as Huqin music, Strum music, and YiyangMusic (Brandon 51). Similarly, drama theatre also supports several genres such as Yiyang drama, Lantern theatre and Tea-house theatre.

Traditional theatre conventions

The major Chinese traditional theatre convention is the Chinese opera. In addition to the notable Beijing Opera convention, there are also others such as Kun Opera, Yu Opera, Xiang, Qin, Shaoxing, and Han Opera (Hunban).

Traditional performers and performance spaces

Traditional performers are categorized according to the convention they work for. For instance, Yu Opera performers are called Yu performers. Yu performers enjoyed performance space at Shanghai Municipal Academy (Brandon 50). Other performers including Kun, Shaoxing, Xiang, and Qin had performance spaces in places as diverse as streets, temples, parks and squares (Brandon 44).

Impact of the Mongol conquest

Mongol conquest gave birth toZaju Chinese theatre which led to decline of southern drama theatre. Mongol rule prevented educated Han Chinese from joining the bureaucracy which influenced Han Chinese literally talents to embrace playwriting.