Inheritance and Innovation in the Process of Artistic Creation in Major Kunqu Productions in the People‘S Republic of China, 2001-2015
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RETURN OF THE SOUL: INHERITANCE AND INNOVATION IN THE PROCESS OF ARTISTIC CREATION IN MAJOR KUNQU PRODUCTIONS IN THE PEOPLE‘S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, 2001-2015 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‗I AT MĀNOA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THEATRE OCTOBER 2019 By Ming Yang Dissertation Committee: Elizabeth A. Wichmann-Walczak, Chairperson Julie A. Iezzi Kirstin A. Pauka Cathryn H. Clayton Kate A. Lingley Chin-Tang Lo, Ex-Officio Keywords: Kunqu, inheritance, innovation, literature, performance, production I © 2019, Ming Yang II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the support of individuals and institutions dedicated to the studies of Chinese theatre and Chinese culture. I wish to express my most sincere gratitude to the Kunqu and Xiqu artists and scholars who granted me interviews, shared with me their knowledge and experience, and offered their insights on this dissertation. I am grateful to the administrators at the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre, the Shanghai Kunqu Troupe, the Kunju Theatre of the Jiangsu Performing Arts Group Co., LTD, and the Suzhou Kunju Troupe for allowing me to observe their rehearsals and performances and for their help in introducing me to artists on the creative teams of productions in this research. I would also like to acknowledge the following institutions for their financial support: the Asian Cultural Council and the Ah Kin (Buck) Yee Graduate Fellowship in Chinese Studies for their fellowships to help me initiate my study at the University of Hawai‗i at Mānoa; the John Young Scholarship in the Arts and the East-West Center Degree Fellowship for further supporting it; the UH-Beida (Peking/Beijing University) Exchange Program Award for the opportunity to conduct eleven months of field research in China; the East-West Center Field Research Fund for supporting the field research; and the Chun Ku and Soo Yong Huang Foundation Scholarship in Chinese Studies, the Faith C. Ai Memorial Scholarship Fund, and the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange for supporting the writing of this dissertation. Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude to my committee members at the University of Hawai‗i at Mānoa: Professor Julie Iezzi, Professor Kirstin Pauka, Professor Cathryn Clayton, Professor Kate Lingley, and Emeritus Professor Chin-Tang Lo. In particular, I wish to thank my advisor, Professor Elizabeth Wichmann-Walczak, for her unfailing guidance, encouragement, and inspiration. III ABSTRACT As a significant form of Xiqu (Chinese indigenous theatre), Kunqu (昆曲, lit. ―Kun song‖) dominated Chinese stages nationwide for nearly two hundred years, remains a national theatre form, and is a representative art form of China‘s Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), as designated by UNESCO in 2001. In this dissertation, I examine ten major Kunqu productions staged in mainland China between 2001 and 2015, as case studies of contemporary Kunqu development. Compared to Kunqu plays created prior to the 21st century, these ten productions display both similarities and differences. The similarities evidence the literary and performance traditions of Kunqu that have been preserved through inheritance and transmission, whereas the differences exemplify innovations in the literary, performance, and design aspects, including scenic and costume design. At the same time, similarities and differences also exist among those productions. The differences are primarily the result of distinctive choices made by the artists involved, as well as specific conditions for artistic creation. The commonalities consist of shared departures from tradition in literary, performance, and design aspects, innovations that may eventually transform into elements of the Kunqu tradition, and be inherited and transmitted in the future. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................. III ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... IV TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................... V LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ VIII CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 1.1 Aim and Terms .................................................................................................. 1 1.1.1 Kunqu, Kunju, Kunshanqiang, and Chuanqi ..................................... 1 1.1.2 Three Key Concepts in the Last 100 Years ........................................ 2 1.1.3 The Seven Kunqu Companies and the Plays to Be Analyzed ............ 3 1.2 Literature Review and Justification .................................................................. 6 1.3 Research Methodology ................................................................................... 22 1.4 Limitations ...................................................................................................... 23 CHAPTER 2: REDEFINING KUNQU ............................................................................ 25 2.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 25 2.2 Production Analysis ........................................................................................ 33 2.2.1 The Youth Version of The Peony Pavilion (YVPP) ......................... 33 2.2.1.1 The play: The Peony Pavilion ........................................... 34 2.2.1.2 The production: The Youth Version .................................. 35 2.2.2 The Jade Hairpin (JHP) .................................................................... 39 2.2.3 Peach Blossom Fan: 1699 (PBF 1699) ............................................ 42 2.2.4 The ―Panda Version‖ of Palace of Eternal Youth (PEY) ................. 45 2.2.4.1 The play ............................................................................ 45 V 2.2.4.2 The Production .................................................................. 47 2.3 Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 60 CHAPTER 3: EXPLORING ARTISTIC EXPRESSIVITY ............................................ 69 3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 69 3.2 Production Analysis ........................................................................................ 75 3.2.1 Ban Zhao .......................................................................................... 75 3.2.1.1 Playwriting ........................................................................ 77 3.2.1.2 Performance .................................................................... 105 3.2.1.3 Directing, Music and Designs ..........................................117 3.2.2 Gongsun Zidu................................................................................. 124 3.2.3 Zhang Xie the Top Graduate .......................................................... 137 3.3 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 144 CHAPTER 4: FULFILLING SOCIAL ENLIGHTENMENT........................................ 149 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 149 4.2 Production Analysis ...................................................................................... 156 4.2.1 Gold Seal ........................................................................................ 156 4.2.1.1 From Grudge to Gratitude: A Statesman‘s Growth ......... 157 4.2.1.2 Inheritance and Innovation in the Adaptation ................. 160 4.2.1.3 Summary ......................................................................... 195 4.2.2 Jingyang Bell ................................................................................. 198 4.2.3 Boundless Love .............................................................................. 213 4.2.3.1 Inheritance....................................................................... 215 4.2.3.2 Innovations ...................................................................... 219 VI 4.2.3.3 Summary ......................................................................... 222 4.3 Summary ....................................................................................................... 223 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ....................................................................................... 229 5.1 Cross-examination of the Productions with Different Focuses .................... 229 5.2 The Propulsion of the Dynamics between Inheritance and Innovation ........... 234 5.3 Further Study ................................................................................................. 236 APPENDIX A ................................................................................................................. 245 APPENDIX B ................................................................................................................. 264 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 271 VII LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Twelve