As you’ll see, both the Communists in China, and the Nationalists in Taiwan used Peking Opera as a propaganda tool.Īlthough they fled to Taiwan, the Nationalists were keen to show themselves as the sole representative of Chinese culture. The Nationalists fled to Taiwan - where they remain to this day. In 1949, the Communists won the war and established the People’s Republic of China. Peking Opera in the 20th centuryīefore starting this section properly, let me give you a quick introduction to China politics at the time.Īfter Japan was forced out of China at the end of World War Two, there was a civil war in China between the Communists (led by Chairman Mao) and the Nationalists (led by Chiang Kai-shek). This act is generally the most exciting one from the whole opera. This is just one act, taken from a full opera. Today, audiences watched a condensed version, called zhezi xi. The picture below is from a modern adaptation of this opera. The Emperor Qianlong even commissioned an opera with an epic 240 acts. Many operas from the Qing Dynasty had 20 or more acts and would take several days to watch. Peking Operas used to be unbelievably long. You even see stylization in dialog: Performers create a rhythm in their speech by lengthening certain syllables. So if a performer raises their arm as if they’re holding a lantern, the audience will know that it’s night time. There are also set movements to convey certain meanings.
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