The Development of Hernan Opera in Kaifeng city, Hernan, China

Abstract

 This article is part of a thesis titled “The Development of Henan Opera in Kaifeng City, Henan Province, China” with an aim to study the development of Henan Opera in Kaifeng City, Henan Province, China. The qualitative research methodology was employed in the study with emphasis on field data. The research instruments included questionnaires and interview questions. The data were collected from Henan Opera performers in Kaifeng City, China. The results are as follows:

The development of Henan Opera can be divided into three periods: 1) The period of the Republic of China or the period of the Old China from A.D. 1912 to A.D. 1949 during which the performers were illiterate, the performances were unsystematic, the show narratives were uninteresting, and no specific stages existed for the performances which were accompanied by ancient Chinese musical instruments, namely Yueqin, Sanxian, Bangzi, drums, gongs, and occasionally Banhu to replace Yueqin; 2) The period of the People’s Republic of China or the period of the New China from A.D. 1949 to A.D. 1966 during which scripts were written and stages were constructed for the performances which were adjusted to suit the audiences’ preferences, and other musical instruments were added, namely Erhu, Pipa, bamboo flute, Sheng and the Electone; and 3) The New Age from A.D. 2000 onwards in which the government provides support in terms of budget and public relations and the freedom of thought on various aspects is welcome, resulting in a variety of means for performances but still conserving the uniqueness of the traditional way of singing. Orchestras have been introduced to accompany the performances. The changes, therefore, could be said to embrace a harmony between the old and new ingredients.