GongDeng 宫灯 palace lanterns, also known as court lanterns, are a distinctive type of traditional Chinese lantern and a hallmark of Chinese craftsmanship.
The city of Luoyang in Henan province was especially known for the production of palace and court lanterns. It’s also considered the origin of this craft.
As the name suggests, palace lanterns were initially used in the imperial palace. They are typically made with a delicate wooden frame, adorned with silk gauze or glass, and painted with various decorative patterns. These lanterns are celebrated for their elegance and regal courtly style. Used primarily within the court.
The lanterns in this post are from the Qing Dynasty and are made out of Zitan (red sandalwood)
OP: I went to Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden in Kaifeng, Henan. (they also have a real scene for tourists to experience The Defense of Kaifeng (Capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, the one in Where Winds Meet) (cr 清明上河园，什锦八宝饭962)
Some comparison of the painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival, game scenes(where winds meet) and today's real-life corresponding scenic spots:
Dikengyuan 地坑院 “sunken courtyard houses” from Sanmenxia, Henan province, and Xianyang, Shaanxi province.
Dikengyuan are a type of underground Yaodong “cave houses” which have a history of at least 4000 years in the Loess plateau region of Northern China. I have an older post about them for anyone interested (https://www.tumblr.com/sinoheritage/775197346221916160/yaodong-%E7%AA%B0-in-native-jin-chinese-or-%E7%AA%B0%E6%B4%9E-in)
I'm back with the 2nd part about the main types of Chinese Opera's, and this post will feature the Cantonese Opera, Sichuan Opera, and the Yu Opera!
Cantonese Opera 粤剧 (Yuèjù)
This is a popular form of opera origination from Guangdong, and especially popular in Hong Kong, Macau and other regions.
Cantonese opera shares quite a few similarities with other types of opera, and includes music, aerobatics, acting and other common feautures, with many stories being based on Chinese classics and historical events. The 4 main character roles remain the same (生, 旦, 净,丑), but their cantonese names are slightly different. ()
There are 2 types of Cantonese Opera plays, martial arts 武 which primarily feature war and conflict, with the main characters being warriors. The 2nd type is "culture" 文, which are calmer and slower plays, with more emotional aspects.
Of course, there are quite a few specifics that set it apart, one of them being the speech element. Cantonese Opera uses Mandarin but also the 中州 (Zhōngzhōu) dialect, which was a cross-regional dialect that was situated between Nanjing, Zhongyuan, Jianghuai, Huguang, and Sichuan in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Currently it's not really in use anymore other than in some Chinese operas as it was abandoned in the 1930s.
Cantonese Opera plays can also be classified into theatrical or singing performances, as the theatrical style is either western music or Chinese music, whereas the singing style is always western style.
Quite a lot of Cantonese Opera's were made into tv shows/series, musicals and movies, especially 唐涤生 Tang Ti-sheng, a famous Cantonese opera playwright. Some of his works include:
牡丹亭惊梦/The Peony Pavilion (Mǔdān tíng jīng mèng)
红楼梦/Dream of the Red Chamber(Hónglóumèng)
穿金宝扇/Wearing a Gold Fan (Chuān jīnbǎo shàn)
蝶影红梨记/ The story of the Butterfly and the Red Pear (Dié yǐng hóng lí jì)
Sichuan Opera 川剧 (Chuānjù)
The Sichuan Opera originates from 1700s Sichuan province, with 5 distinct styles. This is the opera famous for the quick mask change/face change, known as Bian Lian 变脸 (Biànliǎn) which you may have seen as there have been quite a few videos of this fascinating technique.
It is said that over 100 plays are performed in the Sichuan opera, with classic stories being particularly popular, some ranging all the way back to the Song dynasty. Currently both ancient and modern stories are performed, but the old stories still remain constant.
The Sichuan Opera has quite a unique music style, strong with a clear rhythm, and with the wind and percussion instruments being the most significant part of the music ensemble. Sichuan Opera is known for being the most similar to an actual play than any other Chinese Opera, being well-known for it's more free form and singing.
However, Sichuan Opera has 5 distinct styles:
1.Gaoqiang 高腔 (Gāoqiāng)
This is the oldest form of Sichuan Opera, known for high-pitched singing and very little if no musical accompaniment, with just the drums, gongs and a clapper. The singing style is folk, with the Sichuan dialect and other local colloquial expressions.
2. Huqin 胡琴 (Húqín)
This style became known during Qing dynasty, developing from the Hui and Han tunes, but it still has its own distinct features such as being performed using the Sichuan dialect. It's name is particularly interesting as Huqins name comes from the Huqin, a traditional Chinese instrument which also features in Sichuan Opera.
3. Danxi 弹戏 (Dàn xì) Danxi is actually a variation of Qingqiang, which was introduced later on after Qingqiang (More on this later!) first emerged in Sichuan. Danxi's origin story varies, but what is known is that the Shaanxi/Qingqiang opera slowly started to adopt Sichuan Opera's features and later on it combined with other Sichuan Opera styles to form Danxi. Danxi has two types of mysic, one of them being joy and happiness and the other being sadness and despair.
4. Kunqiang 昆腔 (Kūnqiāng)
If the name sounds oddly familiar, you may remember the previously mentioned Kunqu opera, which like it's name, developed from the original Kunqu opera and slowly drifted over from Jiangsu to Sichuan during the Ming Dynasty. The musical style underwent some changes, such as adopting the local Sichuan dialect and combined other vocal styles such as Gaoqiang, Huqing into the now known Kunqiang style.
5. Dengdiao 灯调 (Dēngdiào)
Dengdiao actually comes from the Lantern Festival, and incorporates the local Sichuan folk singing, dancing and customs. The music has a distinct rhythm and is quite short, with an upbeat vibe. The Huqin instrument is used in addition to string instruments as accompaniment.
Yu Opera 豫剧 (Yùjù)
The Yu Opera is said to have originated in the early Ming Dynasty, and later as it gained popularity it spread across the nation, with a strong presence in other regions such as Shandong, Hubei, Shanxi, Beijing and many other places. Despite the name, it's actually not confirmed as to whether the Yu opera is actually from Henan as there are many different and opposing theories. Nonetheless, it's still quite popular and has been included in China's national intangible cultural heritage.
Like many other opera types, the Yu opera also has the main roles of 生 (shēng), 旦 (dàn), 净 (Jìng), 丑 (chǒu) with their respective sub-types, and a noteable "四功五法" (Sì gōng wǔ fǎ) art form, translated as 4 Skills and 5 Methods. The skills include singing, reciting, acting, and fighting (dancing), with the 5 methods referring to the hand, eye, body, method, and step movements.
There are actually quite a few different Yu Opera genres with the main ones being:
陈派 / Chen School (Chénpài) - known for an elegant and smooth movement style and the 青衣 (Qīngyī) characters (virtuous female)
常派 / Chang School (Chángpài) - focuses on strong emotional performance and heroic characters such as Mulan
崔派 / Cui School (Cuīpài) - has a lighter and flowing tone, with a focus on elegance
马派 / Ma School (Mǎpài) - focuses on a calm and more mature style, with the main characters including 老旦 (Lǎodàn) and other more mature female characters
阎派 / Yan School (Yánpài) - includes dramatic and emotional styles with complicated characters
桑派 / Sang School (Sāngpài) - this is quite an interesting genre as it includes more sad and romantic performances in contrast to others
唐派 / Tang School (Tángpài) - in contrast, this genre has a more male focus, with many characters such as 老生 (Lǎoshēng) and other older male characters.
张派 / Zhang School (Zhāngpài) - known for strong and dynamic vocals and heroic characters
