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Peking opera, also known as Beijing opera, is a relatively recent artistic form that originated in the late twentieth century.
Answer: False
The historical records indicate that Peking opera emerged in Beijing during the mid-Qing dynasty and achieved full development by the mid-nineteenth century, predating the late twentieth century.
The principal performance centers for Peking opera are situated in Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai.
Answer: True
The major performance troupes and centers for Peking opera are indeed located in the cities of Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai.
The English term 'Peking opera' was first documented in the Oxford English Dictionary in the early twentieth century, around 1910.
Answer: False
The Oxford English Dictionary first recorded the term 'Peking opera' in 1953, not circa 1910.
Historically, Peking opera was known as 'Jingxi,' meaning 'southern drama,' reflecting its origins in the south of China.
Answer: False
While 'Jingxi' is a historical name for Peking opera, it signifies 'capital drama,' referencing its development in Beijing, not its origins in the south.
Peking opera evolved primarily from a single, older form of Chinese opera known as Kunqu.
Answer: False
Peking opera evolved from a synthesis of earlier forms, notably Hui opera and Hubei troupes, with influences from Qinqiang and Kunqu, rather than solely from Kunqu.
How did Peking opera evolve from earlier Chinese opera forms?
Answer: It merged Hui opera and Hubei troupes, influenced by Qinqiang and Kunqu.
Peking opera developed through the amalgamation of Hui opera and Hubei troupes, incorporating influences from Qinqiang and Kunqu, rather than evolving from a single source or emerging independently.
The term 'Jingxi' historically referred to Peking opera and signified what?
Answer: Capital drama
'Jingxi' is a historical designation for Peking opera that translates to 'capital drama,' referencing its development in Beijing.
What does the term 'Peking opera' mean in English, and when was it first recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary?
Answer: The English name for the art form, recorded in 1953.
'Peking opera' is the English designation for the art form, first appearing in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1953.
What does the term 'Pihuang' signify in the context of Peking opera history?
Answer: A historical name referring to its core melodies.
'Pihuang' is a historical term that refers to the foundational melodies from which the primary musical styles of Peking opera, Xipi and Erhuang, evolved.
The musical landscape of Peking opera is broadly segmented into two principal styles: Xipi and Erhuang.
Answer: True
The musical framework of Peking opera is indeed structured around two primary styles: Xipi and Erhuang, which encompass various melodic and rhythmic components.
The musical styles Xipi and Erhuang are distinguished by their origins, typical usage (joyous vs. lyrical), and melodic characteristics.
Answer: True
Xipi and Erhuang are differentiated by their distinct origins, typical applications in conveying different moods (e.g., joyous versus lyrical), and characteristic melodic structures.
Fixed-tune melodies (qupai) in Peking opera are sung solos performed by the main characters to express their emotions.
Answer: False
Fixed-tune melodies (qupai) primarily function as instrumental tunes that signal events or characters, distinct from arias which are the sung solos expressing character emotions.
Peking opera vocalists achieve sustained singing through shallow, rapid breaths taken from the chest area.
Answer: False
Sustained vocalization in Peking opera relies on deep, controlled breathing techniques, often described as drawing breath from the lower abdomen, rather than shallow chest breaths.
Song lyrics in Peking opera are typically written in single lines of varying length and do not require rhyme.
Answer: False
Song lyrics in Peking opera are structured in couplets, typically with seven or ten characters per line, and rhyme is a critical component, alongside the adherence to Mandarin speech tones.
The jinghu, a two-string fiddle, is the lead melodic instrument in the typical Peking opera ensemble.
Answer: True
The jinghu, a two-stringed fiddle, serves as the principal melodic instrument within the standard ensemble accompanying Peking opera performances.
Percussion patterns in Peking opera are used solely for maintaining rhythm and tempo throughout the performance.
Answer: False
Percussion patterns in Peking opera serve multiple functions beyond rhythm and tempo, including providing context and identifying characters, particularly during stage entrances.
The phrase 'zi zheng qiang yuan' encapsulates the Peking opera aesthetic ideal of precise delivery and fluid, weaving melodies.
Answer: True
'Zi zheng qiang yuan' accurately describes the Peking opera aesthetic ideal, emphasizing precise vocal delivery and melodically fluid, 'weaving' passages.
The 'guban' and 'paiban' are melodic instruments that provide the main tunes for Peking opera songs.
Answer: False
The 'guban' and 'paiban' are percussion instruments; the player of these instruments typically functions as the conductor of the ensemble, rather than providing main melodic tunes.
Which of the following is NOT one of the two main musical styles mentioned in Peking opera?
Answer: Pihuang
The two primary musical styles are Xipi and Erhuang. 'Pihuang' is a historical term referring to the combination of these two styles, not a distinct third style.
What role does the 'guban' and 'paiban' player typically fulfill in a Peking opera ensemble?
Answer: Conductor of the ensemble.
The player of the 'guban' (drum) and 'paiban' (clappers) often assumes the role of conductor for the entire Peking opera ensemble, guiding the tempo and musical direction.
Peking opera is primarily a spoken drama with minimal musical elements.
Answer: False
Peking opera is a comprehensive art form that intricately combines instrumental music, vocal performance, mime, martial arts, dance, and acrobatics, rather than being primarily spoken drama.
Performers in Peking opera are evaluated primarily on their realistic portrayal of emotions and actions.
Answer: False
The evaluation of Peking opera performers emphasizes the beauty and expressiveness of their stylized movements and symbolic gestures, rather than a strictly realistic depiction of emotions and actions.
Peking opera performers are expected to master four primary skills: singing, speech, dance-acting, and combat, all performed with an appearance of effortlessness.
Answer: True
The mastery of four core skills—singing, speech, dance-acting, and combat—performed with an illusion of effortlessness is a fundamental expectation for Peking opera artists.
Stage speech in Peking opera includes prose for plot advancement, classical poetry quotes for dramatic effect, and conventionalized speeches for entrances and exits.
Answer: True
The linguistic component of Peking opera performance encompasses prose dialogue, the recitation of classical poetry, and formulaic entrance/exit speeches, each serving distinct dramatic functions.
How does Peking opera's use of language incorporate classical elements?
Answer: It incorporates quotations from classical Chinese poetry to heighten dramatic impact.
Peking opera integrates classical elements by incorporating quotations from Chinese poetry into its dialogue and lyrics, thereby enhancing dramatic effect and literary depth.
What is the primary evaluation criterion for performers' skill in Peking opera?
Answer: The beauty and expressiveness of their movements.
The primary measure of a Peking opera performer's skill lies in the aesthetic quality and expressiveness of their movements, which convey meaning and emotion through stylized execution.
The four principal role archetypes in Peking opera are Sheng, Dan, Jing, and Chou, representing gentlemen, women, forceful characters, and clowns, respectively.
Answer: True
The four fundamental role categories in Peking opera are Sheng (male roles), Dan (female roles), Jing (forceful characters, often with painted faces), and Chou (clown roles), each with specific characterizations.
Mei Lanfang was a renowned Jing (rough man) role performer who gained international fame in the early 20th century.
Answer: False
Mei Lanfang was celebrated internationally for his mastery of the Dan (female role) in Peking opera, not the Jing role.
The Sheng role subtypes include 'xiaosheng' for young male characters and 'wusheng' for martial characters skilled in combat.
Answer: True
The Sheng category indeed encompasses subtypes such as 'xiaosheng' for young male characters and 'wusheng' for martial roles requiring combat proficiency.
The Jing role is characterized by painted faces, where colors like red symbolize loyalty and black signifies integrity.
Answer: True
The Jing role is distinguished by its elaborate facial painting, where specific colors carry symbolic weight; red typically denotes loyalty and black represents integrity.
Which of the following is NOT one of the four main role types in Peking opera?
Answer: Wei
The four principal role types in Peking opera are Sheng, Dan, Jing, and Chou. 'Wei' is not among these categories.
What does the color red typically symbolize in the facial makeup of Jing roles in Peking opera?
Answer: Uprightness and loyalty
In the symbolic language of Jing role facial makeup, the color red is traditionally associated with uprightness and loyalty.
The Chou role in Peking opera is best described as:
Answer: A male clown, often playing secondary or humorous characters.
The Chou role represents the male clown, typically portraying secondary characters and frequently contributing comic relief or humorous elements to the performance.
Which of the following is a subtype of the Sheng role?
Answer: Laosheng
'Laosheng' is a subtype of the Sheng role, representing dignified older male characters.
What does the white chalk patch around the nose signify in the 'xiaohualian' face paint of a Chou character?
Answer: A mean nature or quick wit.
The distinctive white patch around the nose in the 'xiaohualian' face paint of a Chou character typically symbolizes either a mean disposition or a quick, sharp wit.
Peking opera stages are characterized by elaborate, realistic sets that precisely replicate historical environments.
Answer: False
Peking opera stages are typically minimalist, with the performers and their elaborate costumes serving as the primary visual focus, rather than detailed, realistic sets.
The aesthetic principle in Peking opera prioritizes realistic imitation of nature and precise anatomical representation in movement.
Answer: False
Peking opera's aesthetic emphasizes stylized, symbolic, and meaningful movements that prioritize beauty and expressiveness over strict realism or precise anatomical representation.
Props in Peking opera are used extensively and realistically to create authentic environments, unlike symbolic representations.
Answer: False
Props in Peking opera are typically used sparingly and symbolically, serving as representations of objects like horses or boats, rather than for realistic environmental depiction.
Costumes in Peking opera are primarily functional, providing warmth and protection to the performers during strenuous acts.
Answer: False
While costumes must allow for movement, their primary function is symbolic and aesthetic, conveying character rank, personality, and status through elaborate design and color, rather than providing warmth or protection.
On a Peking opera stage, the 'north' direction is considered the most important, and performers enter stage left.
Answer: False
While the 'north' direction is symbolically significant and performers often move towards 'center north,' the statement about entering stage left is not universally specified as the primary convention.
'Water sleeves' in Peking opera costumes are stiff, decorative elements used to signify the character's wealth.
Answer: False
'Water sleeves' are long, flowing sleeves designed to enhance expressive gestures and convey emotion through movement, not primarily to signify wealth or be stiff.
Stage properties in Peking opera, known as 'Qimo,' are exclusively used for practical purposes, like providing seating or shelter.
Answer: False
'Qimo' (stage properties) in Peking opera are primarily symbolic, representing objects like horses or boats, rather than being used exclusively for practical functions.
What is the primary characteristic of Peking opera's stage setting?
Answer: Minimalist stages where performers are the main focus.
Peking opera stages are characteristically sparse, emphasizing the performers and their costumes as the central visual elements, rather than relying on elaborate sets.
What is a key aesthetic principle regarding movement in Peking opera?
Answer: Movements prioritize meaning and beauty, using stylized, round forms.
A fundamental aesthetic principle in Peking opera movement is the prioritization of meaning and beauty, achieved through stylized, often round forms, rather than strict realism.
How are props like a whip or an oar used in Peking opera?
Answer: They serve symbolic purposes, representing larger objects like horses or boats.
Props such as whips or oars in Peking opera function symbolically, representing larger objects like horses or boats, thereby contributing to the performance's stylized nature.
What is the primary function of 'water sleeves' in Peking opera costumes?
Answer: To enhance expressive gestures and convey emotion through movement.
'Water sleeves' are integral to Peking opera costumes, designed to amplify performers' gestures and articulate emotions through their fluid movement.
What is the main function of the elaborate and colorful costumes in Peking opera?
Answer: To attract the audience's attention against a minimalist stage.
The elaborate and vibrant costumes in Peking opera serve to capture audience attention against the backdrop of a minimalist stage, visually communicating character status and attributes.
What is the significance of the 'north' direction on a Peking opera stage?
Answer: It is the most important direction, with performers entering at 'center north'.
The 'north' direction on a Peking opera stage holds symbolic importance, often serving as the primary point of entry, with performers frequently moving towards 'center north'.
The repertoire of Peking opera comprises fewer than 500 plays, focusing exclusively on ancient historical events.
Answer: False
The repertoire of Peking opera is substantially larger, encompassing over 1,400 works that draw from history, folklore, and contemporary themes, not exclusively ancient events.
Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Peking opera was encouraged to focus solely on traditional themes and historical narratives.
Answer: False
Post-1949, while traditional plays were performed, the government also promoted 'historical plays written after 1949' and 'contemporary plays' aligned with Communist ideology, not exclusively traditional themes.
Traditionally, Peking opera plays were classified only as 'serious' (daxi) or 'light' (xiaoxi), with no distinction between civil and martial themes.
Answer: False
Traditional classification included distinctions between civil plays (focusing on character and emotion) and martial plays (emphasizing action), in addition to the 'serious' and 'light' categories.
Post-1949 classifications for Peking opera repertoire include 'traditional plays,' 'historical plays written after 1949,' and 'contemporary plays.'
Answer: True
Following 1949, Peking opera repertoire was categorized into traditional plays, historical plays created post-1949, and contemporary plays, reflecting evolving thematic and political considerations.
Which of the following best describes the repertoire of Peking opera?
Answer: Over 1,400 works drawing from history, folklore, and contemporary life.
The repertoire of Peking opera is extensive, comprising over 1,400 works that draw upon diverse sources including historical events, folklore, and contemporary narratives.
How are Peking opera plays classified traditionally?
Answer: As either civil plays (focusing on character/emotion) or martial plays (emphasizing action).
Traditionally, Peking opera plays were categorized as civil plays, which emphasize character development and emotional expression, or martial plays, which highlight action and combat sequences.
In Taiwan, Peking opera is referred to as 'Guoju,' signifying its status as the 'National opera' and reflecting political disputes.
Answer: True
The designation 'Guoju' in Taiwan translates to 'National opera,' and this nomenclature is linked to historical and political contentions concerning the authentic representation of Chinese culture and governance.
During the Cultural Revolution, Peking opera was celebrated and promoted as a key art form representing the revolution.
Answer: False
Contrary to this assertion, traditional Peking opera was largely denounced during the Cultural Revolution and replaced by 'revolutionary operas' that aligned with Communist ideology.
Recent reforms for Peking opera aim to enhance audience engagement through improved quality, novel elements, condensed works, and new plays.
Answer: True
Contemporary efforts to revitalize Peking opera include enhancing performance quality, introducing new elements, shortening productions, and developing new plays to attract and retain audiences.
Empress Dowager Cixi actively supported Peking opera, significantly contributing to its rise in prominence within the Qing court starting in the late 19th century.
Answer: True
Empress Dowager Cixi's patronage, commencing in 1884, was instrumental in solidifying Peking opera's status and elevating it within the Qing court.
Female performers were always integral to Peking opera from its inception, with bans only occurring in the late 20th century.
Answer: False
Historically, female performers were banned from Peking opera by imperial decree, with the ban being lifted in 1912, long before the late 20th century.
The concept of 'model opera' during the Cultural Revolution involved creating new works that strictly adhered to Mao Zedong's ideology, often adapted from traditional Peking operas.
Answer: True
During the Cultural Revolution, 'model operas' were indeed developed or adapted to strictly embody Mao Zedong's ideological directives, serving as exemplars of revolutionary art.
Modern Peking opera has faced challenges such as an overabundance of realistic props and excessively fast pacing that alienates younger audiences.
Answer: False
Modern Peking opera is more commonly associated with minimalist staging and challenges related to audience impatience with traditional pacing, rather than an overabundance of realistic props or excessively fast pacing.
In contemporary Peking opera, the role of the performer in scripting and staging has diminished, with directors and playwrights taking a more central role, influenced by Western theatre.
Answer: True
There has been a discernible shift in Peking opera's creative attribution, moving from a performer-centric model towards one where directors and playwrights hold greater prominence, influenced by Western theatrical paradigms.
Peking opera has rarely incorporated Western works, viewing them as incompatible with traditional Chinese aesthetics.
Answer: False
Peking opera has, in fact, increasingly adapted Western works, including plays by Shakespeare, demonstrating a capacity for cross-cultural integration.
The training for Peking opera performers traditionally lasts only two years, focusing mainly on memorizing lines.
Answer: False
Traditional training for Peking opera performers is a rigorous, long-term apprenticeship, typically lasting seven years, involving intensive physical discipline and comprehensive skill development, not merely line memorization.
What historical period led to the denouncement of traditional Peking opera and its replacement by 'revolutionary operas'?
Answer: The Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976.
The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) was the period during which traditional Peking opera faced severe criticism and was largely supplanted by ideologically driven 'revolutionary operas'.
What is the significance of the name 'Guoju' when referring to Peking opera in Taiwan?
Answer: It translates to 'National opera' and reflects political disputes over cultural representation.
'Guoju' signifies 'National opera' in Taiwan, a designation that reflects underlying political disputes concerning cultural identity and representation.
Which renowned performer is credited with popularizing Peking opera internationally through tours in the 1920s and 1930s?
Answer: Mei Lanfang
Mei Lanfang, a celebrated Dan role performer, was pivotal in achieving international recognition for Peking opera through his extensive tours during the 1920s and 1930s.
How does the traditional training for Peking opera performers differ from modern Western acting training?
Answer: It is a rigorous, long-term apprenticeship (traditionally 7 years) with intense physical training and strict discipline.
Traditional Peking opera training is characterized by a lengthy, intensive apprenticeship (often seven years) emphasizing rigorous physical conditioning and strict discipline, contrasting with many modern Western acting methodologies.
What is a primary challenge faced by modern Peking opera regarding its audience?
Answer: Younger generations may be impatient with its pacing and traditional forms.
A significant challenge for contemporary Peking opera is engaging younger audiences who may find its traditional pacing and stylistic conventions less appealing compared to modern entertainment forms.
What historical restriction was placed upon female performers in Peking opera, and when was it lifted?
Answer: Female performers were banned by emperors like Kangxi and Qianlong, with the ban lifted in 1912.
Imperial decrees, notably from emperors Kangxi and Qianlong, banned female performers from Peking opera; this prohibition was eventually rescinded in 1912 following the establishment of the Republic of China.
The shift towards a director and playwright-centered model in Peking opera's creative attribution is influenced by what?
Answer: The influence of Western theatrical practices.
The increasing prominence of directors and playwrights in Peking opera's creative process is largely attributed to the influence of Western theatrical conventions and practices.
Empress Dowager Cixi's patronage of Peking opera beginning in 1884 had what effect?
Answer: It helped solidify its status and elevate it above earlier theatrical forms.
Empress Dowager Cixi's support significantly bolstered Peking opera's prestige, elevating its standing relative to preceding theatrical genres.
Which of the following best describes the 'model opera' concept during the Cultural Revolution?
Answer: Newly created or adapted operas designed to express Mao Zedong's ideology.
The 'model opera' initiative during the Cultural Revolution involved the creation or adaptation of operas specifically to propagate Mao Zedong's ideology and political objectives.