Wang Yaoqing
Wang Yaoqing plays Queen Mother Xiao in Yanmen Pass.[lower-alpha 1]
Traditional Chinese王瑤卿
Simplified Chinese王瑶卿

Wang Yaoqing[lower-alpha 2] (28 December 1881 – 3 June 1954) was a Chinese actor and singer noted for playing the role of a virtuous adult woman, or qingyi,[lower-alpha 3] the most important role in Peking opera. He was from Qingjiangpu District, Huai'an in eastern Jiangsu Province.[1]

Wang was noted for his skills as a long-sleeved dancer, for sword dancing, and for his portrayal of a stylish Manchu lady. He was president of the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts from 1951 to 1954. He taught many other actors, including Mei Lanfang, the best-known singer of the genre.[2]

Biography

Wang's father, Wang Xuanyun,[lower-alpha 4] was an actor in Kun Opera.[3] He died when Yaoqing was 10. Yaoqing learned female impersonation from Tian Baolin.[lower-alpha 5][4]

In 1894, Wang performed in The Pagoda,[lower-alpha 6] his first play. In 1896, the Cheng Troupe was formed with Wang as a member.[5] In 1897, he married the daughter of Yang Duoxian.[lower-alpha 7] His acting troupe disbanded during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. Afterwards, he joined the Fushou Troupe.[4]

In 1904, Wang was summoned to the palace and asked to set lyrics written by Empress Dowager Cixi to music. He was awarded thirty taels for this.[3]

Wang registered to play for the imperial household. His role as a Manchu lady in Incident at Fen River Bend[lower-alpha 8] was appreciated by Cixi. He joined the Tongqing Troupe in 1905. With partner Tan Xinpei, Wang introduced various innovations to the qingyi role, including a greater range of facial expression and stylized body movement.[6][4]

Wang's other notable roles include Fourth Son Visits His Mother,[lower-alpha 9] The Wujia Slope,[lower-alpha 10] Nantian Gate,[lower-alpha 11][6] Goose Gate Pass, Mulan Joins the Army, Story of a White Snake, and Story of Willow Shade.[7]

Wang's voice deteriorated early. His last performance was in 1926 in Shanghai.[8] In the 1930s, he was a teacher at the Chinese Opera Academy.[lower-alpha 12] This school was disbanded in 1941.

Wang was also a noted theater critic. He came up a set of four characters to describe the "four great dan." (A dan is a female impersonator.)[9] Wang served as president of the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts, which was established in 1950. He died in 1954.[4]

More than sixty of Wang's manuscripts were left at Gumei Studio, his residence. He often collaborated with Chen Moxiang. Wang would set Chen's lyrics to music.[3]

A sound recording series of his work aimed at schoolchildren entitled Wang Yaoqing Talks about Opera was released in 1961.[10] In 2016, there was a concert at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to honor Wang's 135th birthday.[11]

Notes

  1. ↑ Yànmén guān,《雁门关》.
  2. ↑ Wáng Yáoqīng, 王瑶卿
  3. ↑ Qīngyī, 青衣, lit. "verdant-clad."
  4. ↑ Wáng Xuànyún, 王绚云
  5. ↑ Tián Bǎolín, 田宝琳
  6. ↑ Jìtǎ,《祭塔》.
  7. ↑ Yáng Duǒxiān, 杨朵仙
  8. ↑ Fénhé Wān,《汾河弯》.
  9. ↑ Sìláng tàn mǔ,《四郎探母》.
  10. ↑ Wǔjiā pō,《武家坡》.
  11. ↑ Nántiān mén,《南天门》.
  12. ↑ Zhōnghuá xìqǔ zhuānkē xuéxiào, 中华戏曲专科学校.

References

  1. ↑ Wang Kaihao (29 Dec 2016). "Symposium marks birth anniversary of Peking Opera guru Wang Yaoqing". China Daily.
  2. ↑ Wang, Ningning (2019), A History of Ancient Chinese Music and Dance, American Academic Press, p. 479, ISBN 9781631816345
  3. 1 2 3 Rolston, David (2021). Inscribing Jingju/Peking Opera: Textualization and Performance, Authorship and Censorship of the "National Drama" of China from the Late Qing to the Present. p. 274. ISBN 978-9004463394.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "王瑶卿", Baidu.
  5. ↑ "事件：喜庆戏班报庙 (Event: Festive Theatrical Troupe Reporting the Temple)". Temple Festive Troupe Newspaper. 6 Nov 1896..
  6. 1 2 "Wang Yao-ch'ing," Boorman, Howard L. (1967), Biographical Dictionary of the Republic of China, vol. III, Columbia University Press, p. 398, ISBN 9780231089579
  7. ↑ "Wang Yaoqing," Tan, Ye (2020), Historical Dictionary of Chinese Theater, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, p. 359, ISBN 9781538120644
  8. ↑ "事件：言菊朋二次赴沪演出 (Event: Yan Jupeng performed in Shanghai for the second time)". Longevity Mirror. May 21, 1926.. The reviewer complained that, "Yaoqing lost his voice and Jupeng is too tender."
  9. ↑ Zhang Kun (7 April 2018). "The stories behind the four great actors". China Daily USA.
  10. ↑ Wang, Yaoqing (1961), Wáng yáo qīng shuō xì,《王瑶卿说戏》, Tai bei xian san chong shi (女王唱片)
  11. ↑ "弘扬国粹传承历史：纪念京剧大师王瑶卿诞辰135周年] (Carrying forward the national quintessence and inheriting history: commemorating the 135th anniversary of the birth of Beijing opera master Wang Yaoqing)". Youth Commune. 30 Dec 2016.

Further reading

  • Wang Yaoqing, "Wo de Youdian shidai" (My Youth), Juexue yuekan, 2.3, (1933): 17-19. Autobiographical material.
  • Shi Ruoxu et al, 1985, Wáng Yáoqīng yìshù pínglùn jí 王瑶卿艺术评论集 (Collected essays on the Art of Wang Yaoqing), Beijing, Zhongguo Yishu.
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