Court Theatres from Qing Dinasty (Part 3): "Chang Yin Ge" at the Forbidden City,

"Chang Yin Ge" Stage (Beijing. Sep. 2008)

In September 2008 I visited for the fourth or fifth time "The Forbidden City", but this time I was there with only one intention, to know one of the most important theaters in China, where the last Chinese emperor had seen performances played by the most famous figures of traditional opera, where the mechanisms of scenery and changes on the stage were the same or even exceeded in quality those of contemporary Europe.

Chang Yin Ge or "Pavilion of cheerful melodies” is the third of the court theaters built during the Qing Dynasty, perhaps the first in importance because of its location within the Forbidden City in Beijing. The other two theaters, the Deheyuan (inside the Summer Palace) (1) and the theater located inside the Summer villa in Chengde (2), surprised me by its size, its beauty and its originality, at the end there are only few theaters built especially for the court during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and expected the same of it in Beijing.


The Forbidden City Palace is the palace-kind of city that was Chinese emperor’s home (and his court) for something like 500 years, impossible to enter to the common Chinese, the doors were opened only after the Communist revolution in the 50’s when it was turned into a museum. Containing a number of scenarios, it was not until the second decade of the nineteenth century with the importance of the new opera, which later would be named Theater of the North or Jingju (Beijing Opera), that it requires a proper stage for its spectacular characteristics.

The stage was built in the east wing of the Forbidden City, in Chang Yin Ge or "Pavilion of cheerful melodies", which used to present music and dance. As in all Chinese architectural space, the stage was located inside the pavilion, which was a rectangular area within an open space (a kind of courtyard); corridors surround it and in front a building called "Pavilion for reading” which served as spectators shelter to the emperor and his court closest members.

"Pavilion of Reading". "Chang Yin Ge" (Beijing. Sep. 2008)

The beauty of those architectural forms of the Forbidden City, the colors and materials and decoration, are unsurpassed in all of China, a wonderful experience for the eyes and mind. But being the third theater in its style I had seen till that time, confess that I was not so impressed, but I made an effort and left a side my other experiences, then tried to enjoy the beauty and uniqueness of this theater, and indeed did it. It was truly spectacular.

"Chang Yin Ge" (Beijing. Sep. 2008)

These “theaters” actually should be called "stages" no theaters, because as I commented before there were constructed in pavilions inside palaces, then the theater would be the pavilion itself; what we admire is the stage, the construction that housed, during the performance, the orchestra and the entire company of actors and singers, with their dressing room, its stage machinery halls, scenery, etc ... a unique architecture in the world.

Video of "Chang Yin Ge" Stage at the Forbidden City

I share the information provided at the site about the building:

"This pavilion was built in 1776 (the 41st year of the reign of Qianlong during the Qing Dynasty). In 1817 (the year of the reign of Jiaqing 22), an opera stage for three floors, the largest stage in the palace, added to the flag. The flag is 20.71 meters high, with a construction area of 685.94 square meters. The top floor of the stage is called Scenario Happiness, the average position scenario, and the lower deck , Stage Longevity. The scenario Longevity has five hatches in the roof, leading to the second level, the position scenario. For the hatches, there are winches and wheels, allowing entrances and exits of supernatural beings, ghosts and demons . For large-scale shows, actors appearing in the three floors at a time. The arena can accommodate 1,000 people. This pavilion is located opposite the Shi Yue Lou (Pavilion for reading) in the north. The two words Yin Chang mean as much loud sound cheerful."


The miniature model of "Chang Yin Ge"

Miniature model of "Chang Yin Ge" (Beijing. Sep. 2008)

Shi Yue lou, the "reader's Pavilion", had mounted a permanent exhibition with photographs of the Forbidden City theaters, draws, instruments and objects used in it, and in particular exhibits a model that shows a cut of the stage in a moment of any performance; so, we could see all the engineering used in the theater and the places where players were hiding and waiting for their entrance. I took a video of the model, even the model is behind glass, you can see this wonderful world back stage, during a performance of a Chinese opera.

Video of: Miniature model of "Chang Yin Ge" Stage

Gustavo Thomas at "Chang Yin Ge" (Beijing. Sep. 2008)

(1) http://gustavothomastheatre.blogspot.com/2007/04/china-court-theatres-in-qing-dynasty.html
(2) http://gustavothomastheatre.blogspot.com/2008/06/peking-opera-theatre-from-qing-dynasty.html

China: Court theatres in the Qing Dynasty (Part 2). Chengde, A theatre inside a Tibetan temple.

A theatre building in the middle of an enormous museum...

Peking Opera theatre building. Chengde, China.

Chengde city is an extraordinary museum of diplomacy, it shows the waste of money and creative effort Chinese emperors had calling for the union of their empire: an enormous Summer imperial villa with its palace and imperial gardens (with lakes, rivers, pavilions, bridges, pagodas, etc.), surrounded by several replicas of the biggest and most important temples in China. This kind of diplomacy was an expensive but good way to please governors and principals from every important province in that imperial China.

Potala palace replica in Chengde, China.

Potala palace replica. Chengde, China.

During the Qing dynasty, between 18th and 19th Centuries, and thought for the visit of the Dalai Lama, it was built a replica of the Potala Palace of Lhasa; its interiors were adapted as reception halls as well as imperial rooms for those special guests. Some years after the visit of the Dalai Lama, inside of one of the main courtyards, it was built a real size-Peking Opera theatre (Beijing Opera theatre), similar to those built inside the Forbidden City and inside the Summer Palace in Beijing.

Performance at Chengde Theatre during Qianlong era (around 1760)

Details of Peking Opera theatre inside a Potala palce replica. Chengde, China.

The palace received only once to any important figure (the Dalai Lama), and its theatre worked just a few times thanks to the Queen mother, Cixi, who loved Peking Opera. After the end of the imperial age all those monuments where abandoned and later converted in part of this huge museum of diplomacy and emptiness. Our Peking Opera theatre is currently used only in special official occasions.

Detail of Peking Opera theatre inside a Potala palace replica. Chengde, China.

In any case its importance lays in its architectonic work, in the beauty of its lines and specially in that perfection achieved at the end of the Qing Dynasty with these style of buildings. The end of the Qing dynasty was the beginning of the highest moment in Beijing Opera, the most beautiful theatres of Beijing Opera where constructed during the last years of the 19th Century.

So, my experience were contradictory: I loved the building because it was amazing, but I felt sad and disappointed because it was a wasted beauty. This case, not the only one in China, talked also to me about how "Han majority" conceived and currently conceive the cultural relation with Tibet and Tibetans: a Peking Opera theatre building inside a replica of the Potala Palace of Lhasa, house of the supreme leader of that country, yes, but also the supreme religious place in Tibet.

Peking Opera theatre in Chengde

Wuzhen (I): Two Chinese Opera Theatres in one beautiful water town.

Wuzhen, Zhejian Province, China.

Wuzhen is a fantastic small town, just a two-hour trip by bus from Shanghai. It's part of the so called "Water Towns",built between canals and small rivers, and very similar to Venice but without the urban structure that has made a success of the Italian City. All these water towns keep a traditional Qing architecture, but their charm is marred by the masses of tourists (mostly Chinese) going there and the consequences of these visits reflected on the dirty water and the bad conditions of the buildings. Zhouzhuang is the most famous of all of them, but we didn't visit it as we were trying to avoid the masses and pollution, and so we decided to go to this one, a little bit farther away and smaller, called Wuzhen(1). It was a fortunate decision, Wuzhen was full of surprises for us.

Wuzhen is divided in two parts of touristic interest: Xizha (West Wuzhen) and Dongzha (East Wuzhen). Xizha has a special charm, it has just been rebuilt and converted in a huge resort; the whole place is closed during the night and only hotel guests are able to enjoy its charm from 5 pm till next day.

Wuzhen Xizha Theatre

Halfway through the long and narrow main street of Wuzhen, a big gate with a sign marks the entrance to the theatre, then, further inside, a nice stone square opens to us, and at the end a simple building, inside of which is the hall of the theatre; a few steps more and we discover, facing us, one fantastic wooden structure, magnifiscent but simple, decorated but not excessively like other theatres (beautiful, of course) we find in Beijing.

There is no information about this Chinese province’s jewel, nor signs, nor brochures, nor guides who know something about the place, no books either or any Internet site talking about it; even so, the theatre speaks for itself. Because of the conditions of Xizha, just rebuilt and no masses of people walking everywhere any day, there are no regular performances, so there was no hope of seeing anything on stage those three days I stayed there.

At the time I visited (March 26th, 2007), the theatre had been open for just one month; many details could be seen without problem, while in other theatres they have been almost erased by time. There is a big open area in the middle, just for the public, with no roof, though three sections around it are spectator zones similar to "box seats" in western theatres; the wood had been recently varnished, and there were many carvings about Chinese Opera scenes, Buddhist and Taoist passages or simple fortune animals; I have to accept that even the golden carved figures were in good balance with the whole.

The Theatre, following a good practice usual in China's performing spaces, has a small museum where many costumes are in exhibition. As I mentioned before, there is no information about what is exhibited.

I visited the place twice, on different days, and because of that you see some part of the video with a raining ambiance and the other part with a sunny day.

Video: Whuzhen Xizha Chinese Opera Theatre

Slideshow: Whuzhen Xizha Chinese Opera Theatre

The Small Theatre in Wuzhen Dongzha

Xizha is pretty much more comfortable and nice for any touristicinterest, however it doesn't have the life Donzha has. With a very nice (but also in a bad condition) traditional area ,Dongzha is situated in the middle of the current city, populated, polluted and noisy like any other Chinese town. This is the most visited area with dozens of restaurants, souvenir shops and public buildings which are packed full of people. Such movement brings on much entertainment offers: museums, a colourful temple and two theatres with performances all day long. One of these theatres is for Shadow Puppet performances (I will have a special post for it), and the other one is what we’ll talk about here, the small Chinese Opera Theatre.

This is not a theatre itself, we could say it is an open air stage. In one part of the central square, surrounded by the temple, commercial and public buildings and next to the main canal, there is a small stage decorated as many Qing Dynasty Opera theatres(2). Small, but big enough to have two floors with make up rooms and one stage of about 4 x 6 meters. What’s remarkable is its roof, with some Chinese mythological wood sculptures and drama characters.

I didn't have the chance to see anything there, the performance schedules were the same in both theatres, and I preferred to see the Shadow Puppets (3). I didn't regret it and you'll see why when I post about my experience later.

Video: Wuzhen Dongzha Chinese Opera Stage

(1) Not to visit Zhouzhuang had risks of course. First of all, I missed the best of traditional Water Town architecture in the region.
(2) I'm not a scholar and I can make mistakes. In my point of view this small theatre is similar (in different scale, of course) to those in the Summer Palace and The Forbidden City in Beijing, Qing Dinasty’s best examples.
(3) I had the intention to record that shadow puppet performance; there was the chance to record the same performance facing the stage and from behind the stage.

China: Court theatres in the Qing Dynasty. (Part I) The Grand Stage in the Summer Palace in Beijing.

In October 2005, walking as a simple turist through the huge complex of the Summer Palace in Beijing, among its fantastic imperial buildings, I found one of the most beautiful chinese structures I’ve ever seen, the Grand Stage or Daxi lou.

I’d rather more than talk about my experience watching it, to share the information I found about it. At the end (I know it) my experience is felt with my photographs and videos.

This is the first ocassion I made use of scanned photographs besides those of my own, but it worths.

Court Theaters in the Qing Dynasty.

In the period of Emperor Kangxi, an administrative structure called the “Southern Repository” was set up to administer court theatrical performances and training, in order to serve various royal celebrations and festivals. In 1827, the Southern Repository was hanged to the Shengping Office, In the palace and royal gardens, stages were built especially for performances. All these stages boasted elegant and exquisite architectural styles. (1)


Stage complex at Tangle Garden in Old Summer Garden.


This first theatrical complex was a three-storey stage and was located at Tangle Garden in Yuanming Yuan (Old Summer Garden), but was destroyed by fire. (2)






The Southern Repository Stage (3)


The Southern Repository Stage was built in the 18th century and used for rehearsals. There was an entrance and an exit at the back of the stage. The entrance resembled the gate of a temple which symbolized a general going out of the city for battle and a minister coming back to court through the temple gate. (4)
(Foto)

Stage at the Imperial Mountain Estate in Chengde

This three-storey stage was located in the Fushou Garden at the Imperial Mountain Estate, but was destroyed by fire. (5)




Deheyuan Theater in the Summer palace. The Grand Stage. (6)


Deheyuan Theater in the Summer Palace is located in Deheyuan (the Garden of Virtue and Harmony) of the Summer Palace. It was the largest theater in Qing Dynasty and it is also the best’preserved and largest-scale palace theater of ancient times in China.

Deheyuan Theater, also know as the “cradle of Beijing Opera”, was originaly built in 1891 and completed in 1895 during the reign of Emperor Qianlong. It cost 700,000 taels of silver. It is a complex structure comprising a three storey building for performances and two-storey make-up building. It is a theater where Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi watched dramas. The Empress, a lover of opera, would on occasions dress as a member of the troupe, her interest in Beijing Opera promoted the development of Beijing Opera to some extent.

Video: Daxi Lou Grand Stage at Summer Palace, Beijing. 2005.

The Grand stage (Daxi lou) is 21 meters in height and 17 meters wide. It consists of three storey, each having its own entrance and exit. The top storey is called Futai, the middle Lutai and the bottom Shoutai, where differents operas and plays could be peformed at the same time (7).

The theater was designed to expand acoustic resonance and to facilitate performance of immortals and ghost dramas. The small building on The Shoutai was were the band accompanied. There were also performance props such as seven “suspending well” on the ceiling of Shoutai, one “water well” and fice ponds, spinning board, a windlass and a high-pressure water machine which made it possible to enact scenes of gods coming down to earth, apparitions fleeing underground and water spewing forth. The “immortals” could descend from above and “ghost” turn up from under the ground.

Distinguished Beijing Opera actors of the Qing Dynasty, like Yang Xiaolou (8) and Tan Xinpei (9), performed here for the Empress Dowager.

This Gran Stage (Daxi lou) inside the Summer Palace, the Free Tones Pavillion (Chang Yin Ge) inside the Forbidden City (also called "Pavillion of Cheerful Melodies"), and the Clear Voice pavillion in Chengde Summer resort, Hebei Province, were renowned as the three great stages during the Qing Dynasty (10). The Summer palace Grand Stage is the largest of all them.




(1) Page 192. “Pictorial Handbook of the History of Chinese Drama”. Institute of Chinese Drama, China Academy of Arts. People’s Music Publishing House. Beijing, 2003
(2) Page 193. “Pictorial Handbook of the History of Chinese Drama”. Institute of Chinese Drama, China Academy of Arts. People’s Music Publishing House. Beijing, 2003
(3) I couldn’t find where this place is exactly located, Summer Palace or Forbidden City.
(4) Page 193. “Pictorial Handbook of the History of Chinese Drama”. Institute of Chinese Drama, China Academy of Arts. People’s Music Publishing House. Beijing, 2003
(5) Page 193. “Pictorial Handbook of the History of Chinese Drama”. Institute of Chinese Drama, China Academy of Arts. People’s Music Publishing House. Beijing, 2003. Of course this can't be the theatre we can see today in Chengde, inside the Lhasa Palace replica, even do, I have my doubts, it could have been rebuilt.
(6) Most of the information about The grand Stage in the Summer Palace come from the sight itself (Information sight); Page 194 of “Pictorial Handbook of the History of Chinese Drama”(Institute of Chinese Drama, China Academy of Arts. People’s Music Publishing House. Beijing, 2003); and Page 66-71 of “Classical dramas and Theaters in Beijing” (Beijing 2005)
(7) “Fortune”, “Salary” and “Longevity” stages.
(8) Yang Xiaolou (left in the picture) (1878-1938) came from an actor’s family and carried on his father’s excellence in the wusheng (warrior) role. Coached by his adopted father Tan Xinpei, yang was called the “Master of Wusheng”. (“Pictorial Handbook of the History of Chinese Drama”… )





(9) Native of Hubei, Tan Xinpei (1847-1917) came from an actor’s family and was first apprenticed to Cheng Changgeng. It was specialized in the laosheng (old soldier) role and is considered “the king of theatre”. His famous performances were done in two important operas: Dingjun Mountain (Dingjun shan) and Yangping Pass (Yangping Guan). He standardized the use of Hubei accent and zhongzhou intonations to form his own singing style. He created the first school for Beijing Opera, the Tan School. He and Wang Yaoqing were innovators and their innovations had vast effects on the development of Chinese drama. (“Pictorial Handbook of the History of Chinese Drama”…; “L’Opéra de Pékin. Quintessence de la culture chinoise.” By Yu Bian. Editions en Langues Étrangères. Beijing, 2005) )

(10) It is possible to visit today this three-storey stage inside an astonishing Lhasa Palace replica.