A narrative or description about opera appreciation

Spring is sometimes compared to yin and yang. Judging from the comments at the time, it seems that poking fun at Chinese culture and exotic customs has become an important part of watching Chinese dramas. Joking articles in newspapers and periodicals continue to "promote" stereotypes about Chinese drama.

Many people believe that drama imitates life, and drama also represents life. Chinese drama in the 19th century seems to have had this function. Therefore, the ridicule of Chinese dramas actually has a lot to do with the concept of anti-Chinese. This situation became more serious in the second half of the 19th century, mainly because the gold mining industry and the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad introduced a large number of Chinese workers. After the completion of the railway in 1869, a large number of Chinese laborers successfully changed jobs and competed fiercely with local American labor. As a result, anti-Chinese voices became louder and louder. The Chinese Exclusion Act, officially passed in 1882, can be regarded as the peak of hatred against the Chinese.

Under this situation, mocking Chinese opera became mocking the Chinese, and it was under this "narrative form" of discrimination and ridicule that Americans' self-identity was slowly formed. It should be noted that the early residents of California were mostly single men. In order to survive, the Chinese resolutely took on "non-male" occupations, such as laundry, cooking, or maids. Under racial discrimination, performing arts have become the explanation and proof of social phenomena. The art of cross-dressing in Chinese dramas has become the main basis for gender discrimination against Chinese people. It mocks the femininity of Chinese people to prove the masculinity of Europeans and Americans. Therefore, the Chinese laundry industry, cross-dressing on stage and racial discrimination, and American self-identity Completely connected. The battle between the Gold Mountain guest and the pioneers clearly unfolds in dramatic criticism. Over time, watching theater is not just to watch a theater, but to join the entire "narrative form" that mocks Chinese culture. As stereotypes continue to deepen, describing China has become the best way for Americans to describe their sense of superiority.

3. Transgender, Mei Lanfang and Anti-Transgender

The "Chinese Exclusion Act" lasted until World War II when it was lifted. The main reason was after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. China has suddenly transformed from a "yellow peril" to an "alliance and friend" of the United States.

Discrimination against Cantonese opera in the 19th century continued into the early 20th century. In other words, when Peking Opera entered the New World, the old racial and gender discrimination still posed a major challenge to Peking Opera. Although men dressing up as women was also one of the traditions of ancient Western dramas (such as ancient Greek dramas, Shakespeare's plays, etc.), when the West had "evolved" to the stage where men and women performed on the same stage, men dressing up as women in Cantonese opera were regarded as " backward”. In the history of the development of Western opera, castrating boys was one of the ways to "train" tenors. This special tenor was very popular in the 17th and 18th centuries and was called "Castrato". The high falsetto in Chinese opera is naturally reminiscent of the inhumane method of "sacrifice for art" in the history of opera. Since realism was promoted in the United States in the 19th century, men dressing up as women in Chinese dramas are no longer an admirable art, but a main cause of ridicule. Chinese (Asian) people are not masculine, so it is possible to convincingly play women. Singing with a falsetto, growing long nails, and walking on stilts (three-inch golden lotus) have also become the targets of frequent criticism.

Therefore, when Mei Lanfang came to the United States to perform, "artistic" and "masculinity" became one of the focuses of publicity. In other words, the reason why he can successfully play women does not mean that he has homosexual tendencies or has undergone sex reassignment surgery, nor does it mean that Chinese culture is backward. His success lies solely in his "art." This is one of the key points of Qi Rushan's promotion of Mei Lanfang. On the international stage, breaking old discrimination and prejudice is the first step for Peking Opera to go abroad. Just as I mentioned earlier that Cantonese opera in Chinatown in the 19th century represented the entire Chinese culture, Joshua Goldstein also proposed that Mei Lanfang equals Peking Opera, Peking Opera equals Chinese opera, and Chinese opera equals Chinese culture. Therefore, Mei Lanfang's trip to the United States has a great mission.

Mei Lanfang’s contribution to Peking Opera has been discussed by many scholars and will not be mentioned here. Mei Lanfang's greatest influence overseas is not only to increase the popularity of Chinese dramas, but also to some extent change Westerners' gender views on Chinese actors. Goldstein once suggested that in order to break past misconceptions about Chinese theater, Mei Lanfang must take into account two things when performing in the United States: first, to perform women with traditional Chinese virtues on stage; Men who perform in the audience represent modern China. The performance on stage can break the impression that women in Chinatown during the gold rush era were often mistaken for prostitutes, and the performance off stage can break the negative gender impression of early Cantonese opera actors. It’s equally important on and off stage. Off stage is sometimes more important than on stage. Therefore, during the tour in 1930, the image of Mei Lanfang in the advertisement was that of a modern man wearing a suit and elegant manner, rather than an "actor" who was neither yin nor yang. He was a cultural ambassador, a young entrepreneur, An admired star, even the "King of Actors".

In addition to the deliberate publicity of his visit to the United States, Mei Lanfang’s trip to Moscow to meet with contemporary drama masters Konstantin Stanislavsky and Bertold Brecht also became a landmark of world drama in the 20th century. A major event in history. Brecht's "Alienation Effect in Chinese Acting" is one of the must-read works for studying Brecht's drama theory. Therefore, although many Western drama scholars have never studied Chinese drama, the name Mei Lanfang is catchy to them. Mei Lanfang has become synonymous with all "Chinese operas" (not Peking Opera). His "masculinity", "artistry" and "modernity" have broken Western doubts about the gender of Chinese male actors. However, Mei Lanfang's men disguised as women on stage also misled the art of cross-dressing, thinking that only men can participate in Chinese dramas, just like Japanese Noh theater and Kabuki. As everyone knows, men and women performed on the same stage in China's early Yuan operas, even though China had an extremely developed patriarchal culture. This is also a rare example in the history of world drama development. Actresses are not a product of the "Westernization" movement in China. Unfortunately, the conclusion that Chinese women are oppressed and have their feet bound has obliterated the artistic achievements of many actresses in the history of drama.

The whirlwind of Mei Lanfang’s performance in the United States has been slowly forgotten by the world. Only Brecht’s article sometimes still evokes some memories of Peking Opera. However, in addition to helping Brecht promote his theater theory, "Chinese Opera" has become a sideshow on the world stage. In the second half of the 20th century, due to various internal factors in China and global modernization, traditional culture was threatened and faced an unprecedented crisis. Peking Opera, which was once prosperous at the beginning of the 20th century, seemed inevitable to suffer this fate. In 1977, the TV series "Roots" was broadcast to represent the mentality of American immigrants eager to "find their roots." African Americans have been displaced for many years and it is difficult to find their roots; Chinese Americans have a short history and it is easier to find their roots. From the perspective of postcolonialism theory, this root-seeking mentality is not much different from the mentality of "passionately seeking the pre-colonial national culture" once proposed by Frantz Fanon. In order to resist colonial culture and the general westernization of the world, a post-colonial nation or culture will work hard to seek or even forge a unique symbol that can represent its pre-colonial national culture. This symbol may be an ancient totem, or a mythical story. Since the 1970s, Asian and American literature and drama have also begun to symbolically shape the "roots" of Chinese culture in the context of this "root search." Guan Gong, Hua Mulan, Bruce Lee's "Chinese Kung Fu" and even "Chinese Opera" are all products of this root-seeking culture. This Guan Gong (the Guan Gong in Asian and American literature and drama) is not the other Guan Gong (whether it is the Guan Gong in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" or the Guan Gong in Guandi Temple), and this Mulan (the Mulan in Maxine Hong Kingston's novel) is not the other Mulan ("Mulan"). Mulan in "Ci"), this Chinese Kung Fu is not that Chinese Kung Fu (the martial arts of various schools).

Of course, this so-called "Chinese opera" is even more nondescript. The "opera" has almost nothing to do with music, but mainly features gorgeous costumes and symbolic actions, and sometimes, just