| Ancestral hall is one of the most common type in traditional Chinese architecture.It contains precious historical and cultural information,embodies the blood ethics,clan concepts,ancestor worship,architectural arts and institutional systems of Chinese nation,which has important research values.As a place for offering sacrifices to ancestors,the ancestral hall is equipped with a stage,so as to express sincere respect for ancestors by means of offering plays or acting,and at the same time serve as entertainment for clansmen.The ancestral temples theaters in GuiYang are rich and numerous,with the numbei of around one hunderd and forty.They were built from Ming and Qing Dynasties to the republic of China,whose architectural forms and systems were almost similar but have their own characteristics.In general,Guiyang ancestral temples theaters have a configuration of quadrangle dwellings.The entrance to the quadrangle dwellings is composed of the temple gate,stage,ancestral halls and buildings.Then is tenements built after the ancestral halls.The whole building is distributed symmetrically along the central axis,with square layout and regular shape.The temple gate of Guiyang ancestral temples theaters is simple and plain,the roof is hard peaks and the internal hall is connected to the stage.The stage backs against the temple gate and some roofs with a single eaves peaks in majority,others are hard peaks the same as the temple gates.The stage has three different viewing angles and is divided into two types,the passing stage and the lower stone stage.Besides,backstage connects two side ells so that the whole stage is the shape of“convex”.The buildings lies in both sides of the stage.The ancestral halls are located in the opposite of the stage,whose roof is hard peaks,the structure of girder frame is often used or the mixture of Chuandou structure and beam framework.Between the ancestral halls and the stage is an open-air dam,which makes the ancestral temple a closed theater.The ancestral temples theaters in Guiyang is decorated gorgeously,and the decoration of the stage is the most resplendent.The temple gate is usually only decorated with dragon patterns or Eight Trigrams on the threshold,which is relatively simple.On the forehead of the stage,the pattern of “Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea” generally are painted and “Two Dragons Playing with A Pearl” are engraved.The carved boards on both sides of the diagonalbrace are most frequently decorated with hollowed-out carvings,and there are also carvings for Ruyi arch patterns.The ceiling of the stage is usually decorated with dragons,phoenixes,eight trigrams and other patterns,and the partition is carved with scenical window,and painted with opera stories.The lower platform of the stage is decorated with dragons and phoenixes,flowers and plants,birds and animals,auspicious clouds and other patterns on the railing board,which fully reflects the delicacy of the platform as the main building of the performance space.The ancestral halls has the carving of “Two Dragons Playing with A Pearl”on the forehead or the beam,as well as the paintings of flowers and clouds.The decoration of ancestral temples architecture reflects not only the exquisite craftsmanship of craftsmen,but also the important position of ancestral temples theaters in Guiyang area.As a place with dual characteristics of sacrifice and performance,the ancestral temples theaters conduct to build temples and renovate pedigrees,offering sacrifices in spring and autumn,festivals in various seasons,weddings and funerals,and punishment regulations,etc.Performers are invited to perform in the ancestral temples in the expression of respect for ancestors or gods,and at the same time of playing a role of entertainment and education for clansmen.The activities of playing operas in the ancestral temples theaters of Guiyang area have been flourishing.Therefore,the research on the background environment,architectural forms and systems,theatrical activities and other activities of Guiyang ancestral temples theaters can not only excavate its historical values and opera values but also explore its cultural significance behind it. |
