Preliminary Discussion On Fan Cuiting Yu Opera Reformation

The flourish of Yu opera after the founding of People's Republic of China is caused by its ever-evolution. There are many factors which contribute to the evolution of Yu opera. In the Late Qing Dynasty, social and cultural transformation led to the conversion of external living environment of Yu opera, triggering the split of composition of Yu opera. Yu opera was also involved in"drama reform movement"during May Forth period. In the twenties and thirties of last century, a large number of intellectuals engaged in Yu opera activities that directly led to the evolution of Yu opera, in which Fan Cuiting was an important participant and leader. In the paper, the transformation process of Yu opera in the Late Qing Dynasty will be explored. The role played by Fan Cuiting in the critical period of transformation of Yu opera and his contribution will also be discussed.In the old times, the Yu opera activities were closely related with people's beliefs and customs. Without script and good equipments for the performance, the performance was not good, and the actresses failed to get on the stage.Fan Cuiting actively participated in the reform of Yu opera. His early love for drama and his later understanding of Henan drama made his program more targeted.Firstly, the implementation of the transformation of Yu theatre can establish the identity of Yu opera.Fan Cuiting realized the concept of art and the transformation of Yu theatre. The relationship between actors and venues began to be fixed at the Yu theatre to ensure the stability of the Yu opera performances. The new theatre management restricted the behavior of actors and promoted the ideological change of Yu opera employees.Secondly, the full recognition to the value of actresses, the establishment of their core position in the performance, and the realization of their gender identity directly led to the significant change of Yu opera system, in which the role of Sheng and Jing gradually disappeared and the performance system with Dan as the main role formed. The artistic style of Yu opera has undergone a qualitative change and its artistic expression was improved.In addition, because of the backwardness of"non-script"of Yu opera, Fan Cuiting created more than sixty drama scripts. The emergence of these scripts marked the maturity of Yu opera, and fundamentally maintained the heritage and continuity of Yu opera. These scripts embodied the spirit of the times, promoted the patriotism, and achieved the purpose of public education.After experiencing the adjustment of external morphology and the transformation of internal structure made by such intellectuals as Fan Cuiting, Yu opera presented a new face, thus got on the road to flourish.