Historical Evolution of Reformation Movement of Peking Opera and Other Local Opera of Modern China

Abstract

Some intellectuals of modern china have patriotism, feels sense of crisis on the national life and death, while recognizing the critical importance of changes of the country's socio-political structure and cultural thought. So they learn from the experience of Western bourgeois political struggle, emphasizing the social function of literature, recognized that drama is a kind of broad mass of literary style, linking the life of the nation, social improvement, national spirit, based on reality and wish go to the enlightenment and salvation, launched a traditional opera reformation movement. Traditional opera reformation movement towards two directions: one is to improve the legendary drama, the other one is to improve Peking Opera and other local opera. Among them, this article intends to discuss the reformation movement of Peking Opera and other local opera, through consider relationship with reality of the time in order to describe those historic significance. Reformation Movement of Peking Opera and Other Local Opera of Modern China, although there is over-emphasis on propaganda effect of drama, and disregard artistry of drama, from this playwright constantly search a new route of drama development, pioneer new expression space of drama, making Chinese opera showing more and more abundant clear modern colors.