Research On Illustrations Of Operas In The Late Qing Dynasty(1821—1911)

This paper takes the opera illustrations of the Qing Dynasty during the Daoguang,Xianfeng,Tongzhi,Guangxu,and Xuantong periods as the research object,combined with the historical background of the late Qing Dynasty.Based on the collation and statistics of existing opera illustrations,the production,publication,dissemination,critical function of illustrations,and the reflection of the late Qing opera’s evolution are examined,attempting to reveal the overall appearance of late Qing opera illustrations.The first chapter mainly outlines the background of the development of opera in the late Qing Dynasty and sorts out the development of opera illustrations in the late Qing Dynasty.During the late Qing Dynasty,the Qing government continued its previous attitude of banning and destroying opera.However,due to the weakening of its control over local society,the Qing court’s authority over opera was weakening.The official discourse of banning opera could no longer stop the vigorous development of folk theater.During the late Qing Dynasty,the " Hua Bu " and the " Ya Bu " took different development paths,with the common theatre composed by dozens of local opera genres flourishing and the elegant theatre represented by Kun opera weakening.In the late Qing Dynasty,Shanghai and Beijing,as the cultural centers of opera in the north and south,were very prosperous.With the introduction and popularization of western lithographic technology,illustrated books of drama and novels were revived in the late Qing Dynasty,popular pictorial newspapers began to appear,and a new image consumption market was rising.The late Qing Dynasty opera illustrations were characterized by alternating the old and the new.The opera illustrations from the Daoguang to Tongzhi periods continued the traditional style of woodcut illustrations.In contrast,the illustrations of the opera from the Guangxu to Xuanzong periods showed some striking new changes with the help of new technologies such as lithography and newspapers.The second chapter focuses on late Qing lithographic opera illustrations.During the late Qing period,as the opera publishing center moved to Shanghai and Western lithography technology was introduced,lithographic opera illustrations began to emerge and gradually prosper.According to different carriers,late Qing lithographic opera illustrations can be divided into two types: single-volume opera illustrations and newspaper opera illustrations.Compared with traditional opera illustrations,lithographic opera illustrations show some new changes,such as an increase in the number of illustrations,improved quality,and more diverse expression techniques.The third chapter focuses on the critical function of opera illustrations.Poetry in illustration and image selections are two crucial forms of criticism of opera illustrations.The poetry in illustration extracts the theme and essence of the opera text with concise words,reflecting the views and attitudes of the captioner on the characters and the plot.The selection of images is a way for the illustrator to express his understanding and interpretation of the text by selecting embroidered characters and the content of the pictures.Poetry in illustration and the image selection reflect the illustrator’s judgment and evaluation of the text’s content,extending the illustration’s critical function.The fourth chapter starts from the perspective of opera dissemination,focusing on newspapers as a new communication medium,and analyzes the communication function of newspaper opera illustrations.Firstly,by sorting out the development overview and characteristics of late Qing newspaper opera illustrations and connecting them with the late Qing opera reform trend,the communication context of late Qing newspaper opera illustrations is summarized.Secondly,the communication content of newspaper opera illustrations is discussed from three aspects: drama script illustrations,drama review illustrations,and opera news illustrations.Finally,starting from the prosperity of current affairs drama creation and criticism of superstitious beliefs in performances,the communication purpose of late Qing newspaper opera illustrations to enlighten the world and the new people is analyzed.The fifth chapter examines the evolution of late Qing opera from the perspective of opera illustrations.By interpreting the content of opera illustrations,the new changes of late Qing opera are revealed,mainly focusing on the exhibition transformation of opera,the stardom of performers,and the improvement of the opera garden system as presented by opera illustrations.