Jonathan P. J. Stock
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197262733
- eISBN:
- 9780191734502
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197262733.003.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
This introductory chapter first sets out the purpose of the book, which is to present the history and music of Shanghai opera to students and scholars of ethnomusicology. Chinese music, despite being ...
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This introductory chapter first sets out the purpose of the book, which is to present the history and music of Shanghai opera to students and scholars of ethnomusicology. Chinese music, despite being much researched by a large body of scholars, sometimes seems to remain in a peripheral position within the discipline as a whole. This study also aims to re-evaluate certain aspects of current ethnomusicological theory and practice. The chapter considers the use of the term ‘opera’ in the Chinese context followed by a discussion of Shanghai opera. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.Less
This introductory chapter first sets out the purpose of the book, which is to present the history and music of Shanghai opera to students and scholars of ethnomusicology. Chinese music, despite being much researched by a large body of scholars, sometimes seems to remain in a peripheral position within the discipline as a whole. This study also aims to re-evaluate certain aspects of current ethnomusicological theory and practice. The chapter considers the use of the term ‘opera’ in the Chinese context followed by a discussion of Shanghai opera. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.
Jonathan P. J. Stock
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197262733
- eISBN:
- 9780191734502
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197262733.003.0004
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
This chapter develops the historical consideration of Shanghai opera begun in Chapter 1, looking now at huju in mid-20th-century Shanghai. Other than the appearance of female performers, in the ...
More
This chapter develops the historical consideration of Shanghai opera begun in Chapter 1, looking now at huju in mid-20th-century Shanghai. Other than the appearance of female performers, in the period from approximately 1920 to 1949, there was an expansion of troupes with a concomitant increase in specialization; the rise of new performance venues and media, most obviously recorded sound and radio broadcasting; the influence of other artistic forms, such as the spoken drama and film; and changing modes of musical learning. Distinctive schools of performance were created, several of which remain significant in terms of musical style today. Discussion of these factors is enclosed within an examination of musical place.Less
This chapter develops the historical consideration of Shanghai opera begun in Chapter 1, looking now at huju in mid-20th-century Shanghai. Other than the appearance of female performers, in the period from approximately 1920 to 1949, there was an expansion of troupes with a concomitant increase in specialization; the rise of new performance venues and media, most obviously recorded sound and radio broadcasting; the influence of other artistic forms, such as the spoken drama and film; and changing modes of musical learning. Distinctive schools of performance were created, several of which remain significant in terms of musical style today. Discussion of these factors is enclosed within an examination of musical place.
Jonathan P. J. Stock
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197262733
- eISBN:
- 9780191734502
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197262733.003.0002
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
Scholars of Shanghai opera accord their tradition, huju, a history of some two centuries or more, typically describing its rise in terms of a development from local traditions of folk song to ...
More
Scholars of Shanghai opera accord their tradition, huju, a history of some two centuries or more, typically describing its rise in terms of a development from local traditions of folk song to balladry, and from ballad-singing to staged and costumed opera (in the 1920s). This chapter begins with a brief summary of the history of opera in China to provide initial orientation for the subsequent evaluation of how huju relates to and contrasts with other dramatic forms. The analysis draws on surviving primary and secondary source materials, such as the memoirs of old singers, to assess the question as to how much huju changed as it gained acceptance in the city of Shanghai. The data suggests that the generally cited model of development through stages of folk song-ballad-local opera is in need of revision, and new models are generated.Less
Scholars of Shanghai opera accord their tradition, huju, a history of some two centuries or more, typically describing its rise in terms of a development from local traditions of folk song to balladry, and from ballad-singing to staged and costumed opera (in the 1920s). This chapter begins with a brief summary of the history of opera in China to provide initial orientation for the subsequent evaluation of how huju relates to and contrasts with other dramatic forms. The analysis draws on surviving primary and secondary source materials, such as the memoirs of old singers, to assess the question as to how much huju changed as it gained acceptance in the city of Shanghai. The data suggests that the generally cited model of development through stages of folk song-ballad-local opera is in need of revision, and new models are generated.
Jonathan P. J. Stock
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197262733
- eISBN:
- 9780191734502
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197262733.003.0003
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
A central element of the history of huju in the 20th century is the emergence of female performers: this in a tradition formerly dominated by men, some of whom impersonated female roles. This chapter ...
More
A central element of the history of huju in the 20th century is the emergence of female performers: this in a tradition formerly dominated by men, some of whom impersonated female roles. This chapter focuses on issues pertaining to and associated with these new performers. Treated as a case study in the field of music and gender, and drawing on theoretical proposals from several fields, the chapter begins in the same historical area as that discussed in Chapter 1 but ranges beyond the former chapter's historical confines to consider some later data also.Less
A central element of the history of huju in the 20th century is the emergence of female performers: this in a tradition formerly dominated by men, some of whom impersonated female roles. This chapter focuses on issues pertaining to and associated with these new performers. Treated as a case study in the field of music and gender, and drawing on theoretical proposals from several fields, the chapter begins in the same historical area as that discussed in Chapter 1 but ranges beyond the former chapter's historical confines to consider some later data also.
Jonathan P. J. Stock
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197262733
- eISBN:
- 9780191734502
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197262733.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
China has over three hundred distinct styles of music drama, from exorcism theatre to farce, historical romance, and shadow puppetry. This study considers one of the newer operatic forms. Established ...
More
China has over three hundred distinct styles of music drama, from exorcism theatre to farce, historical romance, and shadow puppetry. This study considers one of the newer operatic forms. Established just two centuries ago, huju (Shanghai opera), is renowned for its portrayal of ordinary people, not the emperors, courtesans, and heroes of older forms. Acting and make-up aim for realism rather than symbolism, and stories deal with contemporaneous themes: the struggles of lovers to marry, women's rights after the Communist revolution (1949), and life under the new social order established by Deng Xiaoping's reforms in the 1980s. Music ranges from local folksong to syncretic adoptions of Western popular music. Adding to his extensive research on Chinese music, the author's eighteen months of fieldwork in Shanghai have allowed him to interweave material from historical reports, sound recordings, live performance, and first-hand accounts of three generations of singers into a study of a unique Chinese opera form seen equally as historical tradition, venue for social action, and forum for musical creativity. Assessing first the roots of huju in local folksong and ballad, he looks at the enduring role of emotional expressivity. The text then focuses on the rise of actresses, laying out a ‘musical’ reading of gendered performance.Less
China has over three hundred distinct styles of music drama, from exorcism theatre to farce, historical romance, and shadow puppetry. This study considers one of the newer operatic forms. Established just two centuries ago, huju (Shanghai opera), is renowned for its portrayal of ordinary people, not the emperors, courtesans, and heroes of older forms. Acting and make-up aim for realism rather than symbolism, and stories deal with contemporaneous themes: the struggles of lovers to marry, women's rights after the Communist revolution (1949), and life under the new social order established by Deng Xiaoping's reforms in the 1980s. Music ranges from local folksong to syncretic adoptions of Western popular music. Adding to his extensive research on Chinese music, the author's eighteen months of fieldwork in Shanghai have allowed him to interweave material from historical reports, sound recordings, live performance, and first-hand accounts of three generations of singers into a study of a unique Chinese opera form seen equally as historical tradition, venue for social action, and forum for musical creativity. Assessing first the roots of huju in local folksong and ballad, he looks at the enduring role of emotional expressivity. The text then focuses on the rise of actresses, laying out a ‘musical’ reading of gendered performance.
Siu Wang-Ngai and Peter Lovrick
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9789888208265
- eISBN:
- 9789888268252
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208265.003.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
This chapter provides an outline on the development of Chinese opera. It sets up the terms of reference for the following chapters.
This chapter provides an outline on the development of Chinese opera. It sets up the terms of reference for the following chapters.
Siu Wang-Ngai
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9789888208265
- eISBN:
- 9789888268252
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208265.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
Chinese opera embraces over 360 different styles of theatre that make one of the richest performance arts in the world. It combines music, speech, poetry, mime, acrobatics, stage fighting, vivid ...
More
Chinese opera embraces over 360 different styles of theatre that make one of the richest performance arts in the world. It combines music, speech, poetry, mime, acrobatics, stage fighting, vivid face-painting and exquisite costumes. First experiences of Chinese opera can be baffling because its vocabulary of stagecraft is familiar only to the seasoned aficionado. Chinese Opera: The Actor's Craft makes the experience more accessible for everyone. This book uses breath-taking images of Chinese opera in performance by Hong Kong photographer Siu Wang-Ngai to illustrate and explain Chinese opera stage technique. The book explores costumes, gestures, mime, acrobatics, props and stage techniques. Each explanation is accompanied by an example of its use in an opera and is illustrated by in-performance photographs. Chinese Opera: The Actor's Craft provides the reader with a basic grammar for understanding uniquely Chinese solutions to staging drama.Less
Chinese opera embraces over 360 different styles of theatre that make one of the richest performance arts in the world. It combines music, speech, poetry, mime, acrobatics, stage fighting, vivid face-painting and exquisite costumes. First experiences of Chinese opera can be baffling because its vocabulary of stagecraft is familiar only to the seasoned aficionado. Chinese Opera: The Actor's Craft makes the experience more accessible for everyone. This book uses breath-taking images of Chinese opera in performance by Hong Kong photographer Siu Wang-Ngai to illustrate and explain Chinese opera stage technique. The book explores costumes, gestures, mime, acrobatics, props and stage techniques. Each explanation is accompanied by an example of its use in an opera and is illustrated by in-performance photographs. Chinese Opera: The Actor's Craft provides the reader with a basic grammar for understanding uniquely Chinese solutions to staging drama.
Siu Wang-Ngai and Peter Lovrick
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9789888208265
- eISBN:
- 9789888268252
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208265.003.0002
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
This chapter deals with pure movement that does not rely upon props. It discuses both conventional mime movements and acrobatics on the Chinese stage.
This chapter deals with pure movement that does not rely upon props. It discuses both conventional mime movements and acrobatics on the Chinese stage.
Siu Wang-Ngai and Peter Lovrick
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9789888208265
- eISBN:
- 9789888268252
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208265.003.0003
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
This chapter demonstrates how props common to Chinese stage craft are used. It includes the horsewhip which represents an entire horse, paddles which represent boats, the fan and furniture.
This chapter demonstrates how props common to Chinese stage craft are used. It includes the horsewhip which represents an entire horse, paddles which represent boats, the fan and furniture.
Matthew Isaac Cohen
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824855567
- eISBN:
- 9780824868710
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824855567.003.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
The constituent ethnic groups of nineteenth-century Indonesia shared arts – remaking them as what Raymond Williams called “culture in common.” European arts, including drama and music, promoted a ...
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The constituent ethnic groups of nineteenth-century Indonesia shared arts – remaking them as what Raymond Williams called “culture in common.” European arts, including drama and music, promoted a sense of European identity in the tropics and dispelled boredom. European music was also appropriated: brass bands were hybridized by musicians in Java while church harmonies integrated with folk song in Ambon. While European participation in Javanese performing arts was once déclassé, a nineteenth-century “renaissance” of arts in central Java’s Javanese courts emerged through intense exchange with both Chinese and Europeans. The provision of arts to fill the Mangkunegaran court’s capacious Grand Gazebo resulted in much artistic innovation-including new forms of gamelan, langendriya, and wayang wong, and the reputation of court arts soared. Chinese opera, once a ritual theater and status symbol, became a business with the banning of slavery and the establishment of the Chinese-owned public theaters starting in 1870.Less
The constituent ethnic groups of nineteenth-century Indonesia shared arts – remaking them as what Raymond Williams called “culture in common.” European arts, including drama and music, promoted a sense of European identity in the tropics and dispelled boredom. European music was also appropriated: brass bands were hybridized by musicians in Java while church harmonies integrated with folk song in Ambon. While European participation in Javanese performing arts was once déclassé, a nineteenth-century “renaissance” of arts in central Java’s Javanese courts emerged through intense exchange with both Chinese and Europeans. The provision of arts to fill the Mangkunegaran court’s capacious Grand Gazebo resulted in much artistic innovation-including new forms of gamelan, langendriya, and wayang wong, and the reputation of court arts soared. Chinese opera, once a ritual theater and status symbol, became a business with the banning of slavery and the establishment of the Chinese-owned public theaters starting in 1870.
Nancy Yunhwa Rao
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252040566
- eISBN:
- 9780252099007
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252040566.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Opera
In this expansive project, Nancy Yunhwa Rao examines the world of Chinatown theaters, focusing on iconic theaters in San Francisco and New York but also tracing the transnational networks and ...
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In this expansive project, Nancy Yunhwa Rao examines the world of Chinatown theaters, focusing on iconic theaters in San Francisco and New York but also tracing the transnational networks and migration routes connecting theaters and performers in China, Canada, and even Cuba. Drawing on a wealth of physical, documentary, and anecdotal evidence, Rao brings together the threads of an enormously complex story: on one hand, the elements outside the theaters, including U.S. government policies regulating Chinese immigration, dissemination through recordings and print materials of the music performed in the theaters, impresarios competing with each other for performers and audiences, and the role of Chinese American business organizations in facilitating the functioning of the theaters; and on the other hand, the world inside the theaters, encompassing the personalities and careers of individual performers, audiences, repertoire, and the adaptation of Chinese performance practices to the American immigrant context. The study also documents the important influence of the theaters on the Chinatown community's sense of its cultural self. Presenting Chinese American music as American music, Rao's work significantly revises understandings of American music by placing the musical activities of an important immigrant group firmly within the bounds of music identified as "American," liberating it from the ghetto of exoticism. Firmly grounded in both Chinese and English language sources, this study offers critical insight into both historical and contemporary questions of cultural identity in the American context.Less
In this expansive project, Nancy Yunhwa Rao examines the world of Chinatown theaters, focusing on iconic theaters in San Francisco and New York but also tracing the transnational networks and migration routes connecting theaters and performers in China, Canada, and even Cuba. Drawing on a wealth of physical, documentary, and anecdotal evidence, Rao brings together the threads of an enormously complex story: on one hand, the elements outside the theaters, including U.S. government policies regulating Chinese immigration, dissemination through recordings and print materials of the music performed in the theaters, impresarios competing with each other for performers and audiences, and the role of Chinese American business organizations in facilitating the functioning of the theaters; and on the other hand, the world inside the theaters, encompassing the personalities and careers of individual performers, audiences, repertoire, and the adaptation of Chinese performance practices to the American immigrant context. The study also documents the important influence of the theaters on the Chinatown community's sense of its cultural self. Presenting Chinese American music as American music, Rao's work significantly revises understandings of American music by placing the musical activities of an important immigrant group firmly within the bounds of music identified as "American," liberating it from the ghetto of exoticism. Firmly grounded in both Chinese and English language sources, this study offers critical insight into both historical and contemporary questions of cultural identity in the American context.
Siu Wang-Ngai and Peter Lovrick
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9789888208265
- eISBN:
- 9789888268252
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208265.003.0005
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
This chapter discusses actors' use of costume as stage technique. Items in this chapter include headgear, feathers, robes, sleeves and beards.
This chapter discusses actors' use of costume as stage technique. Items in this chapter include headgear, feathers, robes, sleeves and beards.
Kate Merkel-Hess
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780226383279
- eISBN:
- 9780226383309
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226383309.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
Like reformers in many other places around the world, early twentieth century Chinese intellectuals believed rural China was disorganized, a state of being that was unnatural and the direct result of ...
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Like reformers in many other places around the world, early twentieth century Chinese intellectuals believed rural China was disorganized, a state of being that was unnatural and the direct result of violent incorporation into the global economy. Focusing on the notion that peasants lacked “organization” and should be encouraged to form group associations, Chinese reformers emphasized “social education” via both traditional and new village institutions, like teahouses, agricultural cooperatives, and opera troupes. Rural people, however, had their own ideas about what kinds of reform were useful or acceptable and they embraced some efforts in some places and rejected others, setting the stage for tensions between reformers and reformed that in part explain the contraction of excitement over rural reconstruction in the late 1930s. Moreover, notions of rural organization were easily adapted by the government and authoritarian regional leaders to their own ends of using rural social organization to extend government’s reach into the villages.Less
Like reformers in many other places around the world, early twentieth century Chinese intellectuals believed rural China was disorganized, a state of being that was unnatural and the direct result of violent incorporation into the global economy. Focusing on the notion that peasants lacked “organization” and should be encouraged to form group associations, Chinese reformers emphasized “social education” via both traditional and new village institutions, like teahouses, agricultural cooperatives, and opera troupes. Rural people, however, had their own ideas about what kinds of reform were useful or acceptable and they embraced some efforts in some places and rejected others, setting the stage for tensions between reformers and reformed that in part explain the contraction of excitement over rural reconstruction in the late 1930s. Moreover, notions of rural organization were easily adapted by the government and authoritarian regional leaders to their own ends of using rural social organization to extend government’s reach into the villages.
Siu Wang-Ngai and Peter Lovrick
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9789888208265
- eISBN:
- 9789888268252
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208265.003.0004
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
This chapter outlines fighting skills and the use of various weapons in stage battles. These weapons include spears, swords, polearms, maces, and bows and arrows.
This chapter outlines fighting skills and the use of various weapons in stage battles. These weapons include spears, swords, polearms, maces, and bows and arrows.
Nancy Yunhwa Rao
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- June 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780190236861
- eISBN:
- 9780190236892
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190236861.003.0006
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western, Theory, Analysis, Composition
Musical gestures play an important role in the process of spiritual transformation in Chen Yi’s Symphony No. 2 (1998), which was written in commemoration of her father’s recent passing. Chen Yi uses ...
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Musical gestures play an important role in the process of spiritual transformation in Chen Yi’s Symphony No. 2 (1998), which was written in commemoration of her father’s recent passing. Chen Yi uses unique luogu dianzi (percussion patterns used in Beijing opera), characteristic melodic elements, and large-scale rhythmic design to convey an intense process of grieving and transcendence. Linking Chen Yi’s unique adaptation of traditional rhythmic patterns to musical gestures, the chapter considers how traditional music signifiers of the Chinese operatic stage have been shifted into another kind of musical space and genre, while gaining significantly more weight and dignity. The symphony reflects not only her crossing of borderlines between cultures and nations, but also the bringing together of these simultaneous dimensions to create a powerful work and to pay homage to her father.Less
Musical gestures play an important role in the process of spiritual transformation in Chen Yi’s Symphony No. 2 (1998), which was written in commemoration of her father’s recent passing. Chen Yi uses unique luogu dianzi (percussion patterns used in Beijing opera), characteristic melodic elements, and large-scale rhythmic design to convey an intense process of grieving and transcendence. Linking Chen Yi’s unique adaptation of traditional rhythmic patterns to musical gestures, the chapter considers how traditional music signifiers of the Chinese operatic stage have been shifted into another kind of musical space and genre, while gaining significantly more weight and dignity. The symphony reflects not only her crossing of borderlines between cultures and nations, but also the bringing together of these simultaneous dimensions to create a powerful work and to pay homage to her father.
Siu Wang-Ngai and Peter Lovrick
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9789888208265
- eISBN:
- 9789888268252
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208265.003.0006
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
This chapter discusses the use of special skills found in particular regional operas. It includes face-changing skills found in the Sichuan opera, techniques used by the clown and other skills.
This chapter discusses the use of special skills found in particular regional operas. It includes face-changing skills found in the Sichuan opera, techniques used by the clown and other skills.
Wing Chung Ng
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252039119
- eISBN:
- 9780252097096
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252039119.003.0010
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
This concluding chapter summarizes key themes and presents some final thoughts. This study constructed a three-part narrative to chronicle the rise of Cantonese opera. At the outset, much information ...
More
This concluding chapter summarizes key themes and presents some final thoughts. This study constructed a three-part narrative to chronicle the rise of Cantonese opera. At the outset, much information on the latter half of the nineteenth century is provided, and the imperial period also is covered as additional background, but the principal time frame is the early part of the twentieth century. A key finding of this study is the resilience of the opera community and how it managed to find ways to tap into the underlying appeal of a plebeian theater and to make difficult adjustments in logistics and other long-held conventions in order to stay afloat and rebound. The changes made during the 1920s and early 1930s continued a larger process of ongoing evolution and showcased the remarkable adaptive capacity of Cantonese opera. They also underscore the tremendous resilience of the opera community band its art in facing the severe disruptions and dislocation caused by the Sino- Japanese War and even greater uncertainties in the ensuing postwar years.Less
This concluding chapter summarizes key themes and presents some final thoughts. This study constructed a three-part narrative to chronicle the rise of Cantonese opera. At the outset, much information on the latter half of the nineteenth century is provided, and the imperial period also is covered as additional background, but the principal time frame is the early part of the twentieth century. A key finding of this study is the resilience of the opera community and how it managed to find ways to tap into the underlying appeal of a plebeian theater and to make difficult adjustments in logistics and other long-held conventions in order to stay afloat and rebound. The changes made during the 1920s and early 1930s continued a larger process of ongoing evolution and showcased the remarkable adaptive capacity of Cantonese opera. They also underscore the tremendous resilience of the opera community band its art in facing the severe disruptions and dislocation caused by the Sino- Japanese War and even greater uncertainties in the ensuing postwar years.
