THE CLASSICAL THEATRE OF CHINA

HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, ECONOMICS CHINA: HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, ECONOMICS

I The Chinese Economy Adler II A Documentary History of Chinese Communism Brandt et al III China's Economic System Donnithorne IV A History of China Eberhard V The Spirit of Chinese Philosophy Fung VI Chuang Tzŭ Giles VII People's War Girling VIII China's Regional Development Goodman IX Health Care and Traditional Medicine in China Hillier & Jewell X The Political Philosophy of Confucianism Hsü XI Religion in China Hughes & Hughes XII Ta T'ung Shu K'ang XIII China's Foreign Relations since 1949 Lawrance XIV Confucian China and its Modern Fate V1 Levenson XV Confucian China and its Modern Fate V2 Levenson XVI Confucian China and its Modern Fate V3 Levenson XVII Crisis and Conflict in Han China Loewe XVIII The in Contemporary China Mackerras XIX The Rulers of China Moule XX The Fading of the Maoist Vision Murphey XXI The Grand Titration Needham XXII Within the Four Seas Needham XXIII Education in Modern China Price XXIV Sino-Russian Relations Quested XXV Contest for the South China Sea Samuels XXVI The Classical Theatre of China Scott XXVII Macartney at Kashgar Skrine & Nightingale XXVIII The Analects of Waley XXIX Ballads and Stories from Tun-Huang Waley XXX The Book of Songs Waley XXXI Chinese Poems Waley XXXII The Life and Times of Po Chü-i Waley XXXIII The Opium War Through Chinese Eyes Waley XXXIV The Real Tripitaka Waley XXXV The Secret History of the Mongols Waley XXXVI Three Ways of Thought in Ancient China Waley XXXVII The Way and its Power Waley XXXVIII Yuan Mei Waley XXXIX Confucius and Confucianism Wilhelm XL Sociology and Socialism in Contemporary China Wo n g THE CLASSICAL THEATRE OF CHINA

A C SCOTT First published in 1957

Reprinted in 2005 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 4RN

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

The publishers have made every effort to contact authors/copyright holders of the works reprinted in China: History, Philosophy, Economics. This has not been possible in every case, however, and we would welcome correspondence from those individuals/companies we have been unable to trace.

These reprints are taken from original copies of each book. In many cases the condition of these originals is not perfect. The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of these reprints, but wishes to point out that certain characteristics of the original copies will, of necessity, be apparent in reprints thereof.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

The Classical Theatre of China ISBN 0-415-36170-2 China: History, Philosophy, Economics

The Ghost in the Huo Cho Chang San-lang THE CLASSICAL THEATRE OF CHINA by A.C.SCOTT

With illustrations by the author

GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN LTD Ruskin House Museum Street London FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1957

This book is copyright under the Berne Convention. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as per­ mitted under the Copyright Act 1911, no portion may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Inquiry should be made to the publisher. PREFACE

THIS volume is intended as a practical handbook on the classical theatre of China. I am very conscious of its limitations in Chinese eyes. My only excuse for adding to the existent mountain of literature on China, is that there is relatively little first hand information on the theatre in English. I have considered it necessary to describe the actor's technique at such length because that, after all, is the basis of the symbolism which it is important to follow. Apart from this, it forms a record of a theatrical process which will almost inevitably undergo many changes if it is not already doing so. The material is so arranged that the most technical descriptions impinge as little as possible on the general information. It is impossible to avoid a great number of special terms in a work of this nature, but these I have tried to explain as fully as possible. The romanization used throughout is that of the Wade system with the exception of place names which use the old Post Office spelling. Dynastic dates follow those of the Handbook of Oriental History compiled by the Royal Historical Society, London. A. C. S.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I A M indebted to a great number of people for their generous assistance and advice over the years in which this book has been in preparation. In the first place, its inspiration has been due to the art of the Chinese actor and actress and to them I pay homage. Mr. Yii Chen-fei by his friendship and counsel, as well as the genius of his talents, has been a source of encouragement in my work on the Chinese . Mr. Chang Chun-ch'iu gave me a great deal of assistance and extended me many privileges when his troupe was in Hong Kong. I am also grate­ ful to a young actor of his company at that time, Mr. Wang Te-k'un, who provided me with much information concerning the Mou roles as well as posing for me in costume on a number of occasions. I owe a special debt of gratitude to the actresses Miss Li Hui-fang of Shanghai and Miss Wang Hsi-yiin of the Ch'ing Lo Yuan, Nanking. During the early days of my studies they gave me the free run of their dressing rooms, loaned me their costumes and Miss Li placed the services of her pao fou ti at my disposal. From her I learned much concerning technical matters of make-up and costume. Mr. Boyen Li, one-time member of the administrative staff of the Hsi Ch'ii Hsiieh Hsiao, Peking, has helped me in a number of ways on matters connected with the drama and has willingly given me the benefits of his connections with the theatre. Mrs. Li T'ien Shu-hsiu of Peking has been a most useful aid as a language instructor always ready to don theatrical make-up the better to get facts right. I acknowledge the facilities extended to me by the Institute of Oriental Studies of the University of Hong Kong together with the personal help of a member of the language school staff, Mrs. Wu Yii-lan. Professor Ma Chien, of Hong Kong, and Mr. Chiang Yee, of Oxford, have helped me with bibliographical material. The photographs on plate IV were given to me specially by Mr. Liu Tsun-yan of the Education Department, Hong Kong, from his private collection. My wife in her capacity of Librarian of the University of Hong Kong has assisted with bibliographical requirements as well as patiently checking drafts and proofs. Finally, I must thank Mrs. Anne Chang of Hong Kong for her efficient and painstaking preparation of the typescript and for writing the Chinese characters on page 52. A. C. S. Nanking)Hong Kong, 1947-55

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

Li YUAN YING SHIH, by Hsu Mu-yiin. (Chung Hua Yin Shua Kung Szu. Shanghai 1933.) CHING HSI ERH PAI NIEN Li SHIH, compiled by Lu Yuan. (Tai P'ing Yang Yin Shua Kung Szu. Shanghai 1928.) HUAN YU p'u, by Lu Kao-i. (Shih Chieh Shu . Shanghai 1939.) CHUNG KUO CHU CHIH TSU CHIH, by Ch'i Ju-shan. (Peking (circa 1925).) K'OUEN K'IU. Le Theatre Chinois Ancien, par Tsiang Un-kai. (Paris. Librairie Ernest Leroux 1932.) FAMOUS CHINESE PLAYS, by L. C. Arlington and Harold Acton. (Henri Vetch, Peiping 1937.) SECRETS OF THE CHINESE DRAMA. Cecilia S. L. Zung. (Kelly and Walsh, Shanghai 1937.)