서태후의 연극 활동 고찰

Abstract

Qing Dynasty was the piod when the Chinese court dramas were most flourished in the history of China. The people of Manchu, who came to Beijing crossing Shanhaiguan in 1644, established Qing Dynasty and laid the foundation for long-term political stability and economic prosperity under the reigns from the emperors Kangxi to Yongzheng, during which theatrical activities developed and expanded day by day to the large scale performances in the imperial palace. The emperor Kangxi did not regard the plays as a mere means of entertainment but, in recognition of their edifying functions, set up Nanfu (南府) and Jingshan (景山) as the professional theater management organs of the imperial palace. From then onward, the court dramas of Qing Dynasty began to develop in full scale and reached the peak during the reign of Qianlong. The emperor Qianlong went further to adopt the court drama as a part of formal ritual, a step that fully reflected Qianlong’s perception of theatrical plays. As a result, court dramas have been played not only at the various ceremonies but also significantly for entertainment and recreation of the imperial palace. Consequently, plays were performed at various rituals, large stages were constructed for the performances and it was encouraged to create masterpieces for such stages. As seen above, the court dramas have achieved the unprecedented level of progress in various ways, and at their heyday, the Qianlong era was called the first golden period of the court dramas. However, due to the deteriorated political and economic situation since the Jiaqing era, the court dramas gradually declined. Under the reign of Daoguang, Nanfu (南府) and Jingshan (景山) which had been in charge of theater management were merged into Shengpingshu (升平署) and, in addition, the actors who were active until then were forcibly retired, pushing the situation to the extent that the number of actors was reduced to less than a tenth of the era of Qinlong. The situation turned dramatically in favor of the court dramas which saw the second heyday in the era of Gu angxu and it was the Empress Dowager Cixi who stood at the heart of this upheaval. The Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) was Qing’s “last emperor” who had wielded power for 47 years with great political abilities and strong will for power. The Empress Dowager Cixi, who had been in power for longer than any emperors in China’s history and showed extraordinary zeal for theatrical performances, organized her own troupe in the court and invited the famous troupes and actors from civil sectors to perform at the royal court, helping by thus the royal palace dramas meet the second golden age. Furthermore, she actively introduced Pihuangxi (皮黃戱) which was popular among the folks as a branch of Beijing operas into the court in an attempt to prepare for the exchange of court theater and folk plays, to support Pihuangxi to cultivate the artistic capabilities and thus to grow into the maturity stage. This could be said to be the product from combination of her personal hobbies and political powers.