China has an abundance of 1,300 local operas. Sichuan operas is one of China 's oldest local operas and popular in Sichuan Province and some regions of Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. It is the most significant and most interesting opera form from Southwestern China . As a stage entertainment, it conveys the idea of time and space to the audience through performances. The opera is characterized by its unique solo singing, refined acting, rich percussion and irresistibly funny comedians. Sichuan opera also displays its unique skills: the changing faces, spitting fire, and rolling light. Numerous Sichuan opera troupes are active throughout the province, both in the countryside and in the cities. The troupes in Chengdu are rated artistically top level.

The Tunes of Sichuan Opera

Some visitors do not readily appreciate this art, for the opera tunes sometimes sound shrilly. Musically, the Sichuan opera combines five different sonic systems. The music is not intended to be melodic, as in the West, but rather used as punctuation to the performance.

In the course of the development of Chinese traditional opera, mutual borrowing has taken place among various types of local opera, and new forms have appeared continually. The classic opera in China consisted of two major schools: Beizaju, (the Northern- Style Dramatic Miscellany Opera) and Nanxi(the South-Style Drama). In the 13 th century, Zaju opera was rarely a single dramatic piece. However, it was composed of a number of sequences around set themes.

In ancient times touring troupes usually performed the operas as a popular form of entertainment. However, the troupes were held in low social status , and their performance was considered unworthy of attention from the scholarly class; Nanxi Drama was a local classic. It originated in Wenzhou , Zhejiang province at the beginning of the Southern Song Dynasty(1127-1279).Then it spread far and wide in South China . The drama was set to variety of music tunes popular from 1127to 1644. Gradually the Zaju and Nanxi process changed into other art forms: Kunqu Opera, Yiyang Tune, Pojuang Opera and Qinqiang Opera.

Sichuan opera appeared around the middle of the Qing Dynasty. It has adapted the four major tunes. In addition, percussion instruments are used for a strongly rhythmical accompaniment. However, the adapted tunes still preserve their own individual distinction as a typical style in Sichuan opera.

Kunqiang or Kunshan Tune

Kunshan tune in the Sichuan opera is a melodic form. It originated in the southern Yangtze Basin and was later imported to Sichuan . A bamboo flute or a vertical bamboo flute is the dominant melodic instrument. Its tune sounds gentle, clear, and fluent. The traditional repertoire in the Sichuan opera has Kunshan tunes. Occasionally some short Kunshan tunes are used as interludes in a high-pitched opera. Some percussion instruments like gongs, drums and cymbals are often used when a Kunshan opera is performed. However, in the old days Sichuan Kunshan tune operas were most likely suited to scholars' tastes because they remained refined and elegant.

Huqin Voice

It is a music for voices in Sichuan operas. It is mainly from the Xipi and Erhuang tune families in Huiju opera (Hupei opera), which is an operatic form in Hubei province. Sichuan Huqin tune opera has a large repertoire. The stringed instruments mainly consist of erhu and sanxian. Erhu is a two-stringed bowed instrument with a lower register, and sanxian a three-stringed plucked instrument. A drumbeat is used to set the music tempo.

Tanxi

Originally Tan opera was one of the oldest kinds of opera in China . During the Ming Dynasty it appeared in Shaanxi , Hunan and other areas, where it was popular around the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. However, its influence went beyond these areas. As it was introduced into Sichuan , local people called it Chuanbangzi opera. Chuan means Sichuan , bangzi indicates a kind of wooden clapper with bars of unequal length. The clapper is used as an accompaniment instrument to produce a strong rhythm in harmony with loud and clear voices in the Chuanbangzi opera. The main music instrument is gaibanhu, which is a bowed stringed instrument with thin wooded soundboard.

Gaoqiang

Gaoqiang is a high-pitched singing style, it is the most highly known style among the multi-tunes of Sichuan opera. It has a distinctive Sichuan local color. Its vocal solo tune is beyond the eight-bar music scale, and its melodic ornamentation souds both elegant and energetic. The high-pitched tune usually has no accompaniment of stringed instrument. Its solo singing quickly passes up or down the music links and skillfully uses a throbbing effect and artistic addition around the tone. Sparse rhythmical emphasis from wooden clappers usually accompanies the high-pitched singing. In addition, a chorus from the orchestra either makes remarks or repeats what the solo voice sings. In the old days, the chorus consisted of percussionists. They were usually in full view on stage, and they had their daily dresses. Nowadays, the chorus works in a fixed place on the stage, which is out of sight of the audience.

Before 1949, the male voice worked as a vocal accompaniment to the high-pitched singing in Sichuan opera. The man beat a drum and conducted the accompaniment band joined by some other percussionists. Since 1949, the female voice or mixed voices have replaced the male voice in vocal accompaniment.

Sichuan Opera Character Roles

The character roles in Sichuan opera are divided into four main types according to the sex, age, social status, and profession of the character. They are sheng ,dan , jing and chou.

Shen refers to male roles. Male roles can be sub-divided into different types, including zhengsheng, xiaosheng, wusheng. Zhengsheng refers to a bearded middle-aged or old man who plays the part of a positive character; xiaosheng refers to a young man whose gesture is unrestrained and footwork brisk; wusheng is a military general between 30 and 55 years old.

Dan refers to female roles. The female roles can be sub-divided into following types: laodan, qingyi, huadan and wudan. Laodan refers to an old woman. Qingyi refers to a refined young or middle-aged woman, who is often in a dark pleated skirt and is portrayed as a positive character. Huadan refers to a girl or young woman in a jacket and pants. She appears shrewish or active. During an opera she speaks more and sings less. Wudan refers to woman with martial skills. In her part she mainly shows her martial skills rather than singing or talking.

Jing refers to roles with painted faces. Jing or hualian (painted faces) refers to male roles that have a frank personality and unrestrained movement. In the operas their facial make-up is multicolored.

Chou, or clown, is a comic character and be recognized at first sight for his special make-up(a patch of white paint on his nose).Chou is the main role in a comedy or a satirical opera. Chow can be sub-divided into wenchou(male clowns), wuchuo (clowns with martial skills) and danchou (female clowns). They mainly play the part of positive characters. Sometimes they also act as negative ones.

Facial Makeup and Changes

When you are watching Sichuan Opera , what impresses you the most is probably the “painted face”. Facial patterns date far back in history. Ancient Chinese actors sometimes wore masks known as “dummy faces”. Later the painted patterns replaced the mask due to the development of the opera. Facial patterns follow a set mode in composition, sketching and coloring. Facial patterns emphasize multi-color's exaggeration and symbolism in order to suggest a character's personality. The painted faces become what the Chinese audiences will instantly be able to tell personality of characters on the stage. The audiences have long accepted the traditional way of the facial pattern expression. Generally, the Red Face Makeup refers to loyal and upright persons, the Black Face Makeup refers to faithful and straightforward persons, the White Face Makeup refers to an imperious and treacherous person, the Multi- Colored Face Makeup refers to ghosts and gods, the White-Colored Face Makeup Between Eyes and Nose refers to a clown's face, which appears funny and humorous.

In Sichuan opera some special characters use stunts by which they can suddenly show their magic power: quick changes of facial patterns without makeup, jumping through burning hoops and hiding swords. Among them the face-changing is the most popular. It is said that in most Sichuan opera characters like a bandit changes his face nine times to escape his pursuers or an evil sorcerer changes faces with his moods.

The face-changing, or “bian lian” in Chinese , is an important intangible cultural heritage in China . Only a few masters have grasped this skill. They know how to change Sichuan opera masks in magically quick succession. As they flourish their arms and twist their heads, their painted masks change again and again and again.

Face changing got its start 300 years ago. At the beginning, opera masters changed the color of their faces during performances by blowing into a bowl of red, black or gold powder. The powder would adhere to their oiled skin quickly. In another method, actors would smear their faces with colored paste concealed in the palms of their hands.

By the 1920' s, opera masters began using layers of masks made of oiled paper or dried pig bladders. The masters could peel one after another in the blink of an eye. At present the masters use the full-face, painted silk mask. They can be worn in layers, as much as two-dozen thick, and be pulled off one by one.

Repertoire of Sichuan Opera

Sichuan opera has a rich repertoire. Its scripts have a strong literary quality, full of wit, humor, lively dialogue and a pronounced local flavor. It is said that the repertoire included 3,000 items in the Tang Dynasty and 800 items in the Song Dynasty. The current existing repertoire totals over 2,000 items. Most of them are adapted from traditional historical stories or novels, legends or folk tales. They are related to political and military struggles, ghosts and gods as well as common people's daily life.

In the early days, most scriptwriters were actors in Sichuan opera. After the Opium War(1840-1842), some scholars began to write for Sichuan opera. Huang Ji'an of the late Qing Dynasty, who wrote more than 80 scripts for Sichuan opera. Zhaoxi, was a successful candidate in the highest examination taken in the late Qing Dynasty. He revised the script by the name of the Story About Burning Incense and a Lover's Rendezvous.

In the 1950s, Sichuan opera has made much progress through its own reform. The opera professionals and artists sorted out the best traditional opera items for performances. At the same time they also created some new items based on historical and modern subjects. At the present time, Sichuan opera has gained a new vitality due to the major reforms associated with scripts and stagecraft.