A Study Of The Evolution Of The Revolutionary Model Operas

The Beijing Opera reform movement started from the late Qing Dynasty,getting involved in the Chinese drama improvement by providing the content of social reform.From the late Qing Dynasty to the May 4th Movement to the 1930's and 1940's,the Chinese drama improvement finally tended to be popular and revolutionary in the Yan'an liberated area.The Chinese drama improvement also underwent a process from enlightenment and anti-Manchu to national and democratic revolution to the old opera form abolishment which treated the old opera in a totally anti-traditional attitude and attempted to realize the cultural innovation by reconstructing the Chinese opera.But the effect of these efforts was not obvious because the old opera still existed in its self-sufficient way.It was in the Yan'an period that there had emerged a significant turnaround that the literary popularization promoted the Beijing opera reform.Due to the need of the Anti-Japanese War,the anti-Japanese theme became the main content of the Beijing opera and in the meantime the main characters on the stage were replaced by workers,peasants and soldiers.The close connection between the opera revolution and the political revolution had been strengthened during this period.Many measures of the drama improvement in the Yan'an period were inherited by the Beijing opera reform movement of New China after 1949.Before the national observation and performance meeting of modem Beijing opera held in 1964,the modern Beijing opera had already become the uppermost form of Beijing Opera.Jiang Qing came onto the Chinese political stage by making a speech titled On the Beijing Opera Revolution in the meeting which is considered as the prelude of the model operas in the Cultural Revolution period.Jiang Qing's speech also became the guideline directing the Beijing opera revolution.The main model operas basically took shape from the year of 1964 to the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.The above is an important part of this dissertation.Another important part of this dissertation is the discussion of the adaption phenomena of the model operas.The dissertation focuses on the evolution process from the revolutionary modem operas to the model operas,exploring the connection between Jiang Qing's activities and the naming condition of the model operas,the art forms from which each model opera originated,the use of writing strategies named"realism-romanticism combination" and "three prominences" in the creation and adaption process of the model operas,and the themes of the model operas.Besides the pure drama adaption,Jiang Qing was also engaged in the cinematic adaption activity of the model operas which followed the principle "being true while superior to the stage",adequately using various film languages and molding different characters in the model operas according to the writing strategy of“three prominences" in the process of film making.The cinematic adaption of the model operas not only facilitated their wide spread,but also strengthened some of their values and ideas.That is one reason why the model operas turned to be popular again after the Cultural Revolution.The model operas have no longer been the leading role on the drama stage since 1980's,but they still exist as a type of drama in China.The model operas became popular through the repackaging process in 1980's.At the beginning of the 21st century,they were made cinematic again as the rise of the "red classics".The above are important phenomena in the times of "post-model operas".It is the mass consumption culture that promotes the emergence of the adaption "boom" of the model operas.It's safe to say that the power controlling the adaption of model operas is tightly connected with certain condition in different times.The dissertation explores the inner motivation promoting the reform of Beijing opera and model operas,especially the revolutionary model operas during the Culture Revolution from the late Qing Dynasty to novradays.The dissertation also focuses on the cultural consideration of the adaption of model operas-theme TV and films in the tirues of "post-model operas".Based on these two aspects,the dissertation is divided into five chapters.The introduction mainly states the significance,the research review and the writing summary of the study object in order to locate its position in the process of the Chinese drama improvement.The model operas were of great importance to the literature and art in the Cultural Revolution and had their own adaption principles.The dissertation is divided into five chapters.It expounds the Chinese drama improvement since the late Qing Dynasty and the adaption of the model operas.The latter includes the adaption of the model operas' scripts and the film and TV version adapted from the model operas.The first chapter discusses the Chinese drama improvement movement started from the late of Qing Dynasty and extended to the May 4th period till Yan'an period.The drama improvement at the end of Qing Dynasty focuses on the drama content because those drama reformers tried to promote social reform and to enlighten the public for the development of China,s national and democratic revolution.The Beijing opera reform movement in Yan'an period was the prelude of the extensive performance of modem Beijing opera after the founding of New China.The basic system and reform direction of drama work after 1949 were already established in Yan'an period.The second chapter focuses on the Beijing opera reform from 1949 to 1964 which included the systematization and institutionalization of New China's drama work and the practice of Beijing opera revolution before and after the national observation and performance meeting of modern Beijing opera in 1964.The introduction on the systematization of Chinese drama work illustrates that the New China,s opera reform was guaranteed organizationally and institutionally.The performance of modem Beijing opera practically ensured the modernity of the drama reform.The third chapter,which is the emphasis of this dissertation,is about the adaption and evolution from the modern Beijing opera to the model operas.This chapter researches on the naming condition of the model operas and represents their connection with Jiang Qing.The chapter classifies the scripts of the model operas,expounds their adaptation conditions and summarizes their significances.The general strategies guiding the creation and adaption of the model operas are explored from two aspects:"realism-romanticism combination" and "three prominences".The chapter also discusses how these two strategies were carried out in the adaption process.Those adapted model operas showed the spirit essence of the Cultural Revolution which could be discussed from three aspects:the class struggle,the literalization of politics and the leadership worship.It can be pointed out that the model operas and the Cultural Revolution are homogeneous.The fourth chapter involves the discussion of the films adapted from the model operas.The film versions of the model operas were shot following the principle"being true while superior to the stage" raised by Jiang Qing.The film camera language was used to reshape the characters of the model operas.The use of camera differed when shooting different types of characters and environments.The films shot in those methods not only remodeled the model operas,but also strengthened the spirit of the Cultural Revolution.As a kind of relatively modern means of communication,these films played an extremely important role in the popularization of the visualization of the model operas.They also provided image proof for the public's reminiscence of the model operas after the Cultural Revolution.The fifth chapter discusses the phenomena of the model operas after the Cultural Revolution.It pays more attention to the adaptation conditions of the model operas at the background of the emergence of the "red classics".There have many questions worthy of thinking carefully right now,such as how the model operas once again became the hot spot of film and TV adaptation and what the inner cultural significances are in this phenomenon after the combination of the mass consumption culture and the model operas and what the values and significances are when the mass consumption culture meets and leads the consumption interest of the ordinary people.