"History of Song and Yuan Opera" discusses the formation process of Chinese opera. The book has 16 chapters in total. It focuses on the Song and Yuan dynasties and cites relevant materials from past dynasties to explain its origin and evolution. Shu Zhong introduced the ancient shamans' pretense and entertainment; the banter and satirical admonishment of excellence in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period; the horn drama of the Han Dynasty; the song and dance dramas, comedy dramas, and military dramas of the Tang Dynasty, etc. The book believes that comedy in the Song Dynasty was further developed, and the story structure of novels and history telling, the character modeling of puppet shows and shadow plays, the physical movements of the dance team, and the singing sets of music all contributed to the formation of Song drama. The book points out that Song opera also included competitive games and was not a pure opera. The Jin Yuan version is similar in time and structure to Song Zaju. The Yuan Dynasty fully inherited the achievements of its predecessors and made innovations, giving birth to the Yuan Zaju with a strict system, which was the real beginning of Chinese opera. The book discusses a lot about Yuan Zaju, and also discusses the origin and achievements of Nan Opera.
Reader comments
This book is detailed in content and the author is knowledgeable. He narrates the development of Chinese opera very clearly by citing materials from past dynasties. I especially like the introduction to the formation process of Song and Yuan operas in the book, which is very interesting. Moreover, I think the author's analysis of ancient shamans is also very thorough, which gave me a deeper understanding of ancient Chinese culture. All in all, this is a great book worth reading!
This book is detailed in content and the author is knowledgeable. He narrates the development of Chinese opera very clearly by citing materials from past dynasties. I especially like the introduction to the formation process of Song and Yuan operas in the book, which is very interesting. Moreover, I think the author's analysis of ancient shamans is also very thorough, which gave me a deeper understanding of ancient Chinese culture. All in all, this is a great book worth reading!