A Study On Zaju Shapes In Qian-Jia Period

In the history of Chinese drama, Zaju is one of the earliest artistic styles. In the Yuan Dynasty, Zaju formed a fixing system that contained four scenes and a fragment. In Ming and Qing Dynasties, the original system was broken, thus various Zaju shapes had evolved. Specific to the Qian-Jia period, Zaju mainly had two shapes, one was Putongju, and another was Jieqingju. In the first chapter, we classified the Zaju of Ming and Qing Dynasties with the shape as standard. On this basis, we divided Ming and Qing Dynasties into several periods. In addition to Putongju and Jieqingju, we also described the situation of highlights from operas. Highlights from operas and Zaju have a very close relationship, and it was the main part of the performance at that time.In the second chapter, we dealt with the changes of Zaju in Ming and Qing dynasty. Also, we discussed the reasons behind it. From the Yuan dynasty to the Qing dynasty, the development of Zaju was very circuitous. The changes related to the environment, the performance and the cultural psychology of dramatists. In the Ming dynasty, the social classes constantly differentiated. The farmers had to sell themselves as slave after bankruptcy. Gentry became the actual local manager. They had the majority of the land, at the same time they were keen to buy the family troupes. Most dramatists were born in gentry. Their works also reflected the literati lifestyle in the late Ming dynasty. Compared with the seniors in the late Ming dynasty, playwrights'living condition during the Qian-Jia period is disappointing. Due to the surge in population, people's way of life became more and more narrow. In order to make a living, the literati had to be aides or tutors for many years away from home. The changes in lifestyle had also been reflected in works. Political climate and academic atmosphere of Qian-Jia period also affected the dramatic creation. Subject to the political environment, playwrights could not fully reflect the reality, which restricted the topics and content of the works. At the same time, the prevalence of textual research made the creation of drama stricter. Phonology and Frontier research also brought new features to the Zaju creation. Looking from the opera performance, a number of playwrights in the late Ming dynasty also were directors and actors, while playwrights in Qian-Jia period could only act as onlookers. Because the dominance of opera performance had transferred from literati to actors. At that time, highlights from operas occupied the center of the stage. While playwrights were not familiar with the performing arts, their works could only be used to read. As a result, Writing dramas and creating Qu had little differences. At the same time, Chuanqi created by literati is very close to Zaju, while they were also difficult to put on. In the eyes of the literati, music can be divided into popular music and ceremonial music. The song singing by actors could not be mentioned in the same breath with the song created by literati. Literati studied Qingqu, appreciated each other's work in their circle, but they looked down upon the actors'performances. This habit of the literati became increasing strong, and the refined cultural style in the works was reflected more and more obvious.Putongju were created by the literati, apart from a few works, most of them are only for people to read. Putongju can be divided into three types, and they are Jiaohuaju, Jituoju and Xiexinju. Jiaohuaju aimed to educate the public, and they could get more opportunity to show up. Jiang Shiquan, Yang Chaoguan, Tang Ying and other playwrights were dedicated to the creation of the works. They praised the actual function of such works, hoping that it could afford to educate people. Looking from the external shapes, Jituoju had been very close to Qu(non-dramatic song). The literati expressed their feelings through writing the scripts. In Jituoju, Xiexinju is very special. It almost cancelled the way of writing scripts. Dramatists played the characters on the stage, expressing their interest and inner feelings. Xu Xi' Xie Xin Za Ju is the representative of the works. In the third chaper, we mainly discussed the creation environment and characteristics of the three Putongju shapes. In addition, the chapter also played close attention to the philosophical pursuit of the works.In the fourth chapter, we mainly discussed the origin of Jieqingju, several Jieqingju shapes, Jieqingju's environment, characteristics and values, and so on. In Qian-Jia period, the performances and creation of Jieqingju is the most prosperous in history. It is related to the environment and Jieqingju's function. Qian-Jia period is very peaceful and tranquil, while Jieqingju had the actual effect for preaching prosperity. So they promoted each other. In the official endorsement, almost all the social classes had been involved in the creation of Jieqingju. Jieqingju could be classified into several shapes, such as Zhushouju, Yingluanju and Gongtingju. It should be noted that the shapes don't stand side by side. In ancient China, celebrating birthday is the most common festive activities. So the application of Zhushouju was also very common. Yingluanju performed during Qianlong Emperor's southern tour. This is probably a peculiar Zaju shape in Qianlong period. Gongtingju refered to all kinds of Jieqingju shapes that played on the count. It usually performed perfectly, and had a big scale. Gongtingju was on behalf of the performing art peak of Jieqingju in this period. The conclusion of the dissertation discusses the location and achievement of Putongju, Jieqingju and highlights from operas.