1、 Chapter 8Chinas Culture and Art - Dance Drama Cinema There are a total of 56 ethnic groups in China; each of whom has its own rich, colorful folk dances. In view of their different locations and diverse customs, each dance form reflects the feelings of the local people and their stories related in
2、the course of labor. People love folk dances very much.Nuo Dance in a temple fair.8.1 Dance The development of these dances has been unbalanced. After the founding of New China, the government attached importance to collecting and sorting out the folk dances of all ethnic groups without considering
3、whether they were elegant or common. At the same time, a host of new artistic forms emerged that combined traditional Chinese music and folk dances, especially the Guwu, Tiaoyue and Tage. Dancing Guwu (literally drum dance) involves dancing to beating drums, including the Swarm Drum Dance and the Sh
4、oulder-Pole Dance of the Zhuang ethnic group, the Wood Drum Dance of the Wa, the Long-Drum Dance of the Korean and the Bronze Drum of the Miao, Yao, Yi, Shui, and Li ethnic groups.Wonderful Long-Drum Dance of the Korean minority. Tiaoyue is a sort of dance accompanied by various musical instruments,
5、 forinstance, the Heizouma Dance and the Swan Dance of the Kazakh people, the Reed Sheng Dance, the Gourd Sheng Dance, the Moon Qin Dance, the Trichord Dance of some ethnic groups in the southeastern areas of China. Dances of the Qiang Tage means dancing to songs and music. Sometimes people dance an
6、d sing at the same time; sometimes they dance and sing at intervals; and sometimes they dance to songs. Tage includes Andai of the Mongolians, the Caicha Dance (Tea Dance) of the Zhuang, Jiasu of the Yi, Dabenqu Music of the Bai, Pi-pa Songs of the Dong, and Molun of the Zhuang etc.The Reed Sheng Da
7、nce. New dances have appeared. After the 1920s, the May 4th New Culture Movement expedited new dances forms in China with a view to reflecting the realities of modern life. Around the time of the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, a host of dancers returning to China after studying abroad plunged th
8、emselves into the struggle. They combined dance with anti-Japanese propaganda. Dances were also an active part of the life of the Red Army and the PLA to propagate policies in revolutionary bases and liberated areas. Based on the realities of life among the masses, artists created a host of new danc
9、es that reflected their struggle against the Japanese and reactionary elements. After the founding of New China, the situation was ripe for development of dances reflecting life in the new era. Dancers of the new generation, building on long traditions, created dances reflecting modern daily life an
10、d the new achievements of the socialist society. New China promulgated a series of favorable artistic policies, such as “Make the past serve the present and foreign things serve China” and “Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend”. The dance cause of China experienced t
11、he most advantageous times in history.Chinese classic dance.Green Ribbons in the Wind. Various kinds of contests and performances were held at all levels and a large batch of excellent programs were produced; considerable attainments were achieved in dance, aesthetics, folklore, dance education, per
12、formance and writing & directing; and plenty of professional books on dance were published. Branches of the Association of Dancers were set up in all provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, and a considerable cadre of good dancers was created.8.2 Drama Chinese drama , Greek tragicomedy and
13、 Indian Buddhist drama are taken as the three most ancient forms of theater in the world. Beijing Opera The Lord Bids Farewellto his Concubine.Mei Lanfang, a great master of Beijing Opera. Deriving from primitive songs and dances, Chinese drama developed into a comparatively complete theatrical art
14、only in the period of the Song-Jin dynasties. It mainly was integrated by folk songs and dances, musical dialogues, and farce, including the Nanxi Drama of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the Zaju Drama of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Chuanqi (tales of marvels) of the Ming and Qing Dynasty and the famo
15、us latter-day Beijing Opera as well as some local dramas. Since it emerged in the 12th century, Chinese drama has developed into more than 300 dramatic forms and tens of thousands of programs are still thriving over the vast country. Chinese drama mainly adopts songs and dances to embody life. The N
16、anxi Drama of the Song Dynasty and the Zaju Drama of the Yuan Dynasty kept learning from each other and absorbing the merits of poetry, music, dance, painting, dialogue and songs, acrobatics and wushu, etc. Eventually, a synthesized theatrical form with singing, reciting, dancing, acting, acrobatics
17、, and martial arts as its basic performing techniques came into being. Musical dialoguessinging and recitation, dance movementsacrobatics and combat, dummy scenery for time and space, and set performing procedures together constituted the major features.Laosheng (old male roles).Wusheng (martial mal
18、e roles) In order to meet the needs of stories and performances, various roles in Chinese drama can be generalized into four categories, namely Sheng (male), Dan (female), Jing (painted face), and Chou (clown), in accordance with the age, sex, status and character. These figures all have their speci
19、fic makeup, costumes and gestures.Huadan (vivacious maiden roles).Wudan (martial female roles). The early years of the 20th century saw a galaxy of celebrities and profuse schools in the field of Beijing Opera, the so-called National Drama of China with a history of over 200 years. Wuchou (military
20、roles).Wenchou (civilian roles).Hualian (painted-face roles). In Beijing Opera, different characters have strictly distinctive types of facial make-up. It integrates singing, reciting, dance-acting, acrobatics, and martial arts, giving audiences a vivid impression via exaggerated and symbolized danc
21、es and movements even without tangible props in some plots such as opening doors, getting upstairs, paddling boats and riding horses. After the 1950s, with the support of governmentsat all levels and the participation of intellectuals andartists, some new types of drama that once belonged to former
22、folk playlets were expanded into local full-scale Chinese operas, such as Pingju Opera, Shaoxing Opera, Kunju Opera, Guangdong Opera, Shanghai Opera, Huangmei opera, Henan Opera etc. At the same time a large batch of excellent works entertained fans, like Third Sister Goes to Court, Madame White Sna
23、ke, Fifteen Strings of Cash, Guan Hanqing and so on. Chronicle plays of ethnic minorities also thrived based on bringing forth the new while maintaining traditions. Besides, artists also attempted to apply the forms of traditional Chinese drama to reflecting the current realities of life as in the S
24、hanghai Opera Arhat Coin, and in the Beijing Opera The White-Haired Girl. Guangdong Opera King Ruiand the Imperial ConcubineZhuang.8.3 Cinema In the 100-year course of Chinese cinema, not only excellent movies such as Angels on the Road, Spring in a Small Town, and Yellow Earth have emerged but also
25、 a galaxy of outstanding cinematic artists, like Ruan Lingyu, Xie Jin and ZhangYimou.Zhang Yimou and Cheng Long wonthe “Outstanding Contribution Award forPromoting Chinese Language Films” at theeighth Shanghai International Film Festivalin 2005. The period from the mid-1980s to the beginning of the
26、1990s is commonly taken as the second peak in the history of Chinese cinema, when a large batch of excellent films, such as The Birth of New China, Zhou Enlai, and The Story Of Qiuju, were created in an unprecedented democratic and active atmosphere of creation following the course of ideological li
27、beration. It had already become a trend that movies should advocate the spirit of patriotism and collectivism and the concept of gaining happy life via honest labor, as was exemplified in Grand Turn, Opium War and Red River Valley. The Days Without Lei Feng reproduced the accommodating spirit of Lei
28、 Feng that was once so familiar to the Chinese people and also did well in box office terms. The creativity of the Chinese mainstream film industry became increasingly mature and was recognized by the market. This was what really mattered. Realistic subject matters gradually dominated the developmen
29、t of Chinese films. In the new climax of cinematic creation that started in the mid-1980s, high-level accomplishments had been achieved in realistic works such as their depth and scope in reflecting real life, as well as the diversity of subject matter, styles and patterns, and the exploration and innovation of film language. The rise of Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and Huang Jianxin - the so-called “fifth generation” of directors drew much international attention. The end of 20th century and the
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