介绍:
Dear listeners, listen to this music carefully and let me ask you a question, could you tell me what kind of Chinese theatre it is?
Does it sound like the famous Peking Opera ?
Well, the answer is no, but you are pretty close, 'cause what you are hearing is actually an aria of its cousin, Kunqu Opera.
Originated in the 13th century and named after its birthplace Kunshan, a waterside city in east China's Jiangsu Province, Kunqu is said to be the oldest extant Chinese drama. Hailed as the quintessence of ancient Chinese culture, this particular genre has exerted far-reaching influence on Chinese literature, stage performance and traditional art. Thanks to its graceful movements, smooth melodies and lyrics that are always full of sorrow, Kunqu Opera has been listed by UNESCO as one of the intangible heritages of humanity since 2001.
In the past hundreds of years, dramatists, ranging from the founder of Kunqu Wei Liangfu to the Qing Dynasty poet Hong Sheng, many have left us countless masterpieces that stand the test of time.
But probably none of them could achieve the height of Tang Xianzu, a man who is regarded by some as "Shakespeare of the Orient".
But unlike the prolific Bard who left thirty-seven plays to the future generation, Tang Xianzu only gave us four.
Yet in the eyes of Professor Pei-kai Cheng, a researcher of Chinese culture at the City University of Hong Kong, small quantity doesn't equal poor quality.
"Applied phrases that are equally perceptual, literary, imaginative and artistic, both writers searched for the meaning of their time. They wanted to know the conditions of life and the purpose of living under particular time period, let's say, the late 16th century to the early 17th century. A Chinese saying goes that 'life is a bigger stage and the theatre is a smaller world.' I think Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare both applied drama as a literary approach to express something that is fundamentally important. "
In 1550, when the Jiajing Emperor of the Ming Dynasty ruled the nation for 29 years, Tang Xianzu was born in Linchuan of east China's Jiangxi Province. Grew up in a scholarly family, Tang was surely a polymath. According to a biography written by fellow scholar Zou Diguang, Tang not only distinguished himself in literature, but also showed talents in many other subjects, such as astronomy, geography, medicine and even divination. Just like the majority of ancient Chinese intellects, whose sole avenue to climb the social ladder was to attend the imperial examination and join the civil service, Tang excelled at the exams and secured a minor position in the government.
Yet like many of his literary predecessors, Tang's political career was quite bumpy.
Professor Ye Changhai from Shanghai Theatre Academy elaborates.
"If we give an outline of Tang Xianzu's 67 years of life, I think there would be three major stages. Before the age of 34, he was already an exceptional poet whose collected works are well-known in the literati. Then, 34-year-old Tang obtained Jinshi, the highest degree in the imperial examination system, which signified the beginning of his career in the state bureaucracy. However, 15 years of predicament and frustration led to self-seclusion. He resigned and went back to his hometown to focus on his writing. During the last eighteen years of his life, Tang was at his peak. "
The four major plays written by Tang are named as followed: The Purple Hairpin, The Peony Pavilion, A Dream under a Southern Bough, and The Handan Dream.
The latter three are constructed around a dream narrative, a device through which Tang unlocks the emotional dimensions of human desires and ambitions, and explores human nature beyond the social and political constraints of the feudal system of the time. The similar dream motif could be also found in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tempest.
According to Pei-kai Cheng, a scholar in traditional Chinese scholar, Tang's plays mirrors the vicissitudes of reality.
"(In his early 50s), Tang's eldest son died. After years of witnessing the corruption and political strife in the court, he had yearned to leave. But the Ming government regarded his application for resignation as irreverence to the authority. So they dismissed him as punishment. Forced to go back home, the wordsmith concentrated his experiences into two plays, A Dream under a Southern Bough and The Handan Dream. The seamy side of the society is particularly evident in the latter one. In The Handan Dream, the protagonist Lusheng obtains high position and enjoys vast fortune. Yet when he wakes up, it is merely a dream. The ending makes audiences wonder the purpose of life and what we live for. So in that case, I think Tang Xianzu shares some similarities with Shakespeare. Both of them look at life in a very unique manner. "
Among all his works, The Peony Pavilion, or best-known as Mu Dan Ting in Chinese, is Tang's most far-reaching masterpiece. It explores the pursuit for freedom and love of a young ingénue named Du Liniang. One day, the sixteen-years-old wonders into a garden and falls asleep. In the dream, she encounters a young scholar who identifies himself as Liu Mengmei. The two madly fall in love. When she wakes up and realizes her romantic affair is merely a dream, the love-struck girl suddenly falls ill. Gasping last breath, she leaves a self-portrait and a poem with her maid, with orders to hide them under a stone by the plum tree at Taihu Lake.
Three years later, the real Liu Mengmei comes to the lake and pick up the portrait. He recognizes Du is the girl he once dreamt of. Her ghost also visits his dreams. Their profound love helps Liu to revive Du Liniang from her grave and the couple gets married. Yet Du's orthodox father could not accept his daughter's resurrection and he sends Liu to jail for being a grave robber. Liu narrowly escapes from death by topping the imperial exam. In the end, the emperor is amazed by their experience and pardons them all.
For today's younger generation, this kind of love story with a "happily ever after" ending may sound like nothing but cliché. But as professor Ye Changhai points out, Du Liniang's endeavor and courage was truly mind-boggling in ancient times, when women were caged in a society that is dominated by rigorous moral obligations and feudal disciplines.
"Once published, The Peony Pavilion has casted a far-reaching impact. Not only many adaptations have been produced, other literary masterpieces have been under its influence as well. For example, Hong Sheng's famous play, The Palace of Eternal Life, mentions it. In A Dream of Red Mansions, one of China's Four Great Classic Novels, The Peony Pavilion is one of the most popular readings among the protagonists. Readers, especially females, resonated with this story emotionally."
The struggle for independence, the forbidden yet passionate puppy love, plus the theme of love conquering death and social constrains that appear in Tang's play seem to echo with Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare's everlasting tragedy.
Philippa Rawlinson, director of Operations & Marketing from Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, compares the two.
"When compared to Shakespeare's most famous love story, it has a much happier ending. Because when you see Romeo and Juliet, they both die. But I believe in The Peony Pavilion, they live together. I think when people find love, it brings them alive. We see that in some of Shakespeare plays. Are we that different? Human emotions show it's the same across cultures, we just perhaps show it differently."
However, compared with the Bard, who is commonly regarded as the most widely translated secular writer of recent centuries, Tang Xianzu, a household name that appears in every history book of Chinese literature, is less known.
Professor Pei-kai Cheng explains.
"Regardless of their respective backgrounds, both authors were geniuses. But there is one thing we need to keep in mind that Tang didn't write for common folks. But when Shakespeare produced his works, it was right after the Renaissance, English literature tried to break away from the yoke of Latin literature that used to be solely enjoyed by the elites. The development of modern English started around that time as well. But in China, modern vernacular appeared around early 20th century. In the recent one hundred years, we have already got used to the modern Chinese. In terms of literary achievement, Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu are running neck and neck. However, since Tang Xianzu's work are all written in classical Chinese instead of modern vernacular, there is a historical dislocation. We need to appreciate their works differently."
Since 2016 marks the 400th anniversaries of both literary giants, many cross-cultural activities have been put onto the stage.
Mao Weitao is the director of Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Troupe. This year, her company has produced a cross-sector drama named Coriolanus and Du Liniang, that interweaves Shakespeare's tragedy with Tang's love story The Peony Pavilion.
As the leading actor who plays both roles on one stage, Mao thinks her attempt is a brand new approach to rejuvenate both arts.
"It's a dreamy feeling. It feels like you've transcended time and place. One minute, you are the legendary Roman general; then a moment later, you are a wistful scholar scholar in ancient China. It's east meets west in a brilliant and unique way. I hope there will be more attempts like this in the future. "
Many like her are also trying to revive Tang's work and breathe new life into Kunqu, one of the oldest forms of Chinese drama. Young pianist Gu Jieting tries to find the common thread between French composer Debussy and Tang Xianzu's timeless classic. Novelist Bai Xianyong , a lifelong fervent Kunqu lover, blends traditional and modern elements together.
It seems that though 400 years pass, the lyrical, poetic and sentimental chants of Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei still echo besides our ears.
As professor Cheng from City University of Hong Kong once said, Tang Xianzu is a literary luminary we could learn something from.
"What makes Tang Xianzu so remarkable is that his ideas still resonate with people of today. He called for independence and individuality. He asked people to have faith in themselves. He thought, if you set the goal, you should pursuit it no matter what. "
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