編者按：在發(fā)展素質(zhì)教育、全面落實立德樹人根本任務(wù)的今天，英語教育工作者要有意識地引導(dǎo)學(xué)生用英語講述中國故事，傳播中華優(yōu)秀文化，為實現(xiàn)“培養(yǎng)具有中國情懷、國際視野和跨文化溝通能力的社會主義建設(shè)者和接班人”的英語課程目標(biāo)而努力?！队⒄Z學(xué)習(xí)》將連載程曉堂教授、張祖春研究員共同主編、湖北教育出版社出版的《學(xué)英語講中國故事》的選篇，旨在豐富教師教學(xué)材料的同時，表達(dá)和傳播中華優(yōu)秀文化，培養(yǎng)學(xué)生的中國情懷。

本篇選自《學(xué)英語 講中國故事——傳統(tǒng)藝術(shù)篇》。中國傳統(tǒng)藝術(shù)具有幾千年的積累，是中華民族的藝術(shù)瑰寶，也是全人類的寶貴財富。中國傳統(tǒng)藝術(shù)以其濃郁的鄉(xiāng)土氣息、淳厚的藝術(shù)內(nèi)涵和生動的歷史痕跡，越來越受到世界人民的喜愛和欣賞。京劇被列入“世界非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)代表作名錄”，是傳播中國傳統(tǒng)藝術(shù)文化的重要媒介之一。閱讀此篇后，您一定會感受到京劇藝術(shù)的博大精深和無限魅力。

There are more than 360 regional branches of traditional opera in China. Known as the national opera of China， Peking Opera is the most influential and representative of all the traditional operas in China.

History

Although it is called Peking Opera， it didnt originate in Beijing but in the provinces of Anhui and Hubei. It is believed that Peking Opera came into being after 1790 when the four most famous opera troupes1 from Anhui Province paid a visit to Beijing. Based upon traditional Anhui Opera， Peking Opera has also adopted repertoire2， music and performing techniques from Kun Opera （昆曲） and Qinqiang Opera （秦腔） as well as traditional folk tunes. It took in the best from each opera and eventually formed its own highly stylized music and performing techniques.

Features

Peking Opera is a combination of music， dance， art， acrobatics3， and martial arts. With its beautiful paintings， delicate costumes， and graceful gestures， Peking Opera has developed into a comprehensive art system.

With many elements of Chinese culture， Peking Opera presents the audience with an encyclopedia of Chinese culture. Its repertoire includes historical plays， comedies， tragedies and farces4.

Music

Peking Opera features5 an orchestral6 and percussion7 band. The orchestral band frequently accompanies peaceful scenes while the percussion band provides the right atmosphere for battle scenes. The band usually sits on the left side of the stage. It works together with the actors by adding the right mood to the action on the stage.

Characters

Traditionally， women in China were forbidden to enter theatres， so all Peking Opera characters were played by men. But now， women enjoy equal rights with men on the stage， and more women are appearing on the Opera stage than ever before.

Characters in Peking Opera are basically divided into four types of roles： sheng （生the positive male role）， dan（旦the positive female role）， jing （凈the face-painted male role）， and chou（丑 the clown or the negative character）. They are further classified by age and profession. Every type of role has its own facial makeup and costume， so that the audience can easily figure out the identity of the character the moment it appears on the stage.

Facial Makeup

The facial makeup of Peking Opera highlights and exaggerates8 the principal features of the characters. One major characteristic of Peking Opera is the colors painted on the face of a character. It is vital to the understanding of a play. This is a feature unique to Chinese operas.

Makeup helps to transform actors into characters. Face paints are widely used. Red symbolizes uprightness and loyalty， white represents evil or cunning， and black stands for honesty and integrity9. In Peking Opera， the jing is a face-painted male role. The chou is a male clown， whose bridge of nose and eyes are marked with white powder.

Costumes

Peking Opera costumes are called xingtou （行頭） which are made from silk， satin10 and crepe11. Costumes of the actors and actresses represent the rank of the characters. Red is the main color for high rank characters. The characters of virtue also wear red. Lower ranking officials wear blue， etc. Beautiful decorations such as flowing sleeves and wings attached on the helmet or hats give value to detailed choreography12 in Peking Opera.

Performance Skills

The main performing skills of Peking Opera are singing， reciting， acting and martial arts （唱、念、做、打） . The operatic dialogues and monologues are recited in Beijing dialect13， and some of the words are pronounced in a special manner. That is why every Peking Opera performance is accompanied with subtitles14 in Chinese and English. Performers， in addition to singing， use well-established movements， such as smoothing a beard， adjusting a hat， jerking15 a sleeve， or raising a foot， to express certain emotions and meaning. Opening a door， walking at night， rowing a boat， eating， drinking， etc.， are all demonstrated by stylized movements of the actors and actresses. Performers also use their eyes and facial expressions to convey specific meanings.

Notes