Quick Answer: What Is Min Opera?
Min opera (闽剧, Mǐnjù) is a theater tradition associated with Fuzhou in Fujian. Its performers use Fuzhou speech in dialogue and song. Several earlier troupe traditions contributed to the form.[1][2][3]
- Language: Listen to a spoken exchange and then to the way the syllables stretch in song.[1][2]
- Sound: Four main groups of melodies are used in the singing.[2][3]
- Repertoire: Courtroom stories and legends both appear on the stage.[1][4]
Choose a scene where two characters speak before one begins to sing.
A quick answer can become a long sung line. As the melody opens out, the performer keeps the language rooted in the sound of Fuzhou.
How Fuzhou Troupes Came Together
The national listing describes traveling Yiyang melodies entering central Fujian and mingling with local tunes. A group of melodies known as jianghu (江湖, jiānghú) took shape. Later the pingjiang (平讲, píngjiǎng), laolao (唠唠, láolao) and rulin (儒林, rúlín) troupes came together in the late Qing period.[1][3]
These troupes contributed different melodies and plays. The national account associates the laolao troupes with visiting forms such as Kun and Hui opera. The years after the 1911 Revolution saw more troupes and prominent performers.[1][3]
Listen to the Speech and the Tunes
The provincial culture department describes douqiang (逗腔, dòuqiāng) as the main body of the singing repertory. A line in this group can wind through several pitches before settling. Listen for how the singer fits the syllables to those turns. Other groups include jianghu tunes, yangge (洋歌, yánggē) and xiaodiao (小调, xiǎodiào).[2][3]
Listen to the bright double-reed suona (唢呐, suǒnà) and compare it with the sustained bowed sound of the yehu (椰胡, yēhú). A guide to Chinese opera roles helps make sense of the way different parts use the voice and movement.[1][3]
From a Courtroom Play to a Color Film
In The Forged Seal (炼印, Liànyìn), two former court runners hear about a case in which local officials are implicated. Their attempt to expose the injustice drives the story. A black-and-white sound film of the work dates to 1955.[4][5]
The more recent color film The Double Butterfly Fan (双蝶扇, Shuāngdié Shàn) uses the genre for a story of a marriage tested by a wrongful accusation. Watch for what the camera brings into view when a character pauses to answer.[5]
FAQs About Min Opera
Does Min opera mean every opera from Fujian?
Min refers to Fujian, and the full genre name identifies the Fuzhou tradition. The province has several forms of Ópera china with their own repertories, speech and music.[1][2]
What language do Min opera performers use?
Fuzhou speech is used for both singing and spoken lines on stage. Screen versions can make separate choices about dubbing. A CCTV archive program credits separate spoken voices for two actors in the 1955 film.[1][6]
Fuentes
[1] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network. Min Opera
[2] Fujian Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. Min Opera in Fujian
[3] Fuzhou Municipal Government. Min Opera in Fuzhou
[4] CCTV. The Forged Seal
[5] CCTV Fujian. The Double Butterfly Fan on Film
[6] CCTV. Opera Memories on the Silver Screen