| This research is a monographic study of chronological changes in the nature of "avant-garde" in Chinese continent avant-garde theatre. What need to be emphasised is that in order to break the limitation of singular aesthetic studies, this article always place the subject of research in China’s unique culture ecology and culture psychology.Before entering the main body of the article, the author review concepts around avant-garde and mainstream which have often been confused. First, by exploring theories of avant-garde in the west, the article summarises the three core characteristics of avant-gardeness, namely breakthrough in form, spirit of rebellion, and practicality in life. It is thus clear that avant-garde theatre is not a aesthetic game of forms. Second, the article points out that the concept of mainstream in the west should not be applied to China since China’s avant-garde theatre was born upon the detachment from mainstream as an oppressive system, ecology and system enjoyed by the majority. Therefore, the contradiction between oppressive system and avant-garde is a more applicable framework for China. After reviewing the existing literature, it is evident that the arch enemy of China’s avant-garde theatre was the ultra-leftist politics and harmful tradition, which is different from that of the west (capitalist modernity). Such difference has impacts on both the identification and popular understanding of China’s avant-garde theatre.The author classifies the development of the nature of Chinese avant-garde theatre from 1979 into three different phases, and explores their characteristics respectively. The result is showed as follows:The first phase is from 1979 to 1989. At this stage, Art avant-garde is born against the leftist political avant-garde. In full of desire and strength to change the background, the only drama ecological "mainstream Theatre" tries to restore a person’s dignity and value from previous ultra left trend of thought and harmful tradition. During this period, there is no contradiction between the creating art for most people and the desire of avant-garde to pursue the fundamental freedom. Therefore, not only in the "mainstream Theatre" was born little theatre, and appeared the informal site performance and "cultural Tramp", the avant-garde theatre showing a trend towards the outside of the system. In aesthetics, this negative longing, showing four characteristics, out of "Stani-Ibsen" system, restore the self-discipline of art and development stage of putative, pursuit spiritual and free art. At this stage, Huang Zuolin’s "xieyi-drama" and Brecht’s plays acted as a political strategy, while the western modernism and avant-garde art have provided them with a wealth of reference system. It is worth noting that the European academic community’s negative attitude for the avant-garde meaning of modernism, does not apply to the "new era" of china. In China, modernism has been a symbol of the anti regime and taboo art, "the new period" is still left with this view, therefore, the modernism in the Chinese "new period" of the rebel and practical than any country’s more intense. This aspect has the representative artists Gao Xingjian, Lin Zhaohua, Zhang Xian, Mou Sen, this article to their work and to do a specific analysis.From 1989 to 1999 is the second stage. At this stage, fear of 1989 and the pop culture led to the stop of critical language. In this context, the avant-garde need to break through the wall of silence, so find a new way of expression. As a result, the creation of the avant-garde as folk power against state. Market capital is the enemy of Western avant-garde art originally, but the state and civil society in another contest in China under the framework of, it has become the symbol of folk strength, became the avant-garde of the coordinator. All this reflected in aesthetics, appear to bear the aesthetic characteristics of dual identity and the aesthetics extremism. However, due to the social transition period, the meaning of the avant-garde has been shaken, and finally converted to the reverse the experimentalism. From then on, the resistance of the avant-guarde has gradually transformed into an exploration of the aesthetics that can be seen as a pioneer in the market. But it should be pointed out that the popularization of the Western avant-garde art is an unexpected success, while the popularization of Chinese avant-garde theatre is the success of the consciousness. In the study of this stage, the paper on Lin Zhaohua, Zhang Xian, Meng Jinghui, Mou Sen and other works and to carry out a specific analysis.Since 1999-2014 is the third stage. At this stage, avant-garde theatre converted experimentalism, has become a recognized art, has become synonymous with the box office. Meng Jinghui, Tian Qinxin, Lin Zhaohua, Huang Ying, Zhao Miao will be examples. They abandon the battle ahead, build the rear position, become "mainstream"; the first generation set up the market, after a generation try to combine advanced culture and the mass culture. They although bring some beneficial effects for the perfection of the drama market, but through the dilution of the capital, but the original "anti" evolved into the "unity" that with their fundamental enemy, nationalism. In this way, the form of "crisis" in 80’s through the form of "freedom" in 90’s became to the form of "power" in twenty-first Century. The reason for the death of the Chinese avant-garde theatre is that it is in chaos, which is used by the national drama of its own. "life and death" and "impression series" is example.At that time, there also appeared avant-garde of anti "avant-garde". Because of the meaning of the avant-garde have been contaminated, perhaps not appropriate call them avant-garde, and they also hate the current statement, but they have the characteristics of the avant-garde, they rejected the national and commercial support, to build a "system outside the system of network", to break the barriers between life and art. In the analysis of this phenomenon, this paper discusses Li Jianjun, Wang-Chong, Grass-stage, Zhang Xian, Jiangnanliguo.Chinese avant-garde theatre was born in particular historical period, "new era" and 1990s, although today it has become the death, but the constraint mechanism still exist,and the resist art against constraint mechanism also exist, although we can’t use "avant-garde" moniker, but avant-garde spirit does not die. |
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