Zhang Geng

Zhang Geng

Yao Yuxuan was born on January 221911 in Changsha, Hunan Province. Chinese drama theorist, educator and drama historian. In 1934, he joined the left wing Drama Association and began to engage in drama activities. In nearly half a century's practice of teaching, researching and leading drama movement, he has written a large number of comments, lectures, reports, papers and Monographs on drama art and drama movement. After the founding of the people's Republic of China, he devoted himself to the innovation of traditional operas, conscientiously implemented the policy of "letting a hundred flowers blossom and bringing forth the new through the old", and made in-depth discussion and beneficial practice on the compilation and performance of modern operas, new historical operas and the reorganization and adaptation of traditional operas. He has a deep understanding of acting, directing and music. His works include a general history of Chinese opera and on the art of opera.

work experience

In 1932, Zhang Geng took part in the work of Wuhan Branch of Chinese left wing dramatist League in Wuhan. In 1934, he served as a member of the Standing Committee of the drama Federation in Shanghai. After the outbreak of the Anti Japanese War, he organized mobile drama teams of ant society to carry out Anti Japanese propaganda activities. In 1938, he came to Yan'an as the director of the drama department of Lu Xun art college. The paper "nationalization of modern drama and modernization of old drama", published in 1939, attracted the attention of drama circles because of its early contact with the problems of learning from and reforming traditional drama. During the war of liberation, he was vice president of Lu Xun College of literature and art in Northeast China and head of the fourth troupe of the art troupe. He was vice president of the Central Academy of drama in 1950. In 1952, he served as the vice president of the Chinese Academy of drama, and later concurrently as the president of the Chinese Academy of drama.

Personal influence

After he was transferred to the vice president of the Chinese Academy of traditional opera in 1953, he devoted himself to the innovation of traditional opera. His works are all aimed at the reality of opera creation and reform movement in different periods. He paid attention to going deep into the grass-roots level, kept close contact with playwrights, actors and troupes, had rich stage practice experience, and had profound cultivation in performance, director, music and stage art. He has visited the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic, India, Romania and other countries. Through the comparison of various Chinese and foreign arts, he has scientifically grasped and summarized the artistic rules of traditional opera. He attached great importance to the study of the history of opera development, and advocated that the study of opera theory must first study the history of opera. General history of Chinese Opera (1981), CO edited by him and Guo Hancheng, explores the law of opera development through the relationship between ancient opera and politics, economy and culture of various times, and uses the experience and lessons in the history of opera as reference for today's opera work. This work, on the basis of previous research results, made a new exploration and breakthrough. In particular, the opera as a comprehensive art of the whole, tracing back to the source, exploring the flow of change, in the history of opera research monographs, unique skills.

In his monograph on Drama Art (1980), he studied the formation and development of drama literature, performance, director, music and stage art from the perspective of drama history, summarized the special laws of Chinese drama culture from the perspective of aesthetics, and combined with the historical experience of the rise and fall of northern Zaju and Kunqu Opera, clearly put forward that drama art must conform to the requirements of the times. His main works include introduction to dramatic art (1942), on new opera (1958), on the expression of modern life in Opera (1958), and Zhang Geng's essays on Drama (1981). Through the practice of Opera Education and innovation, he trained a group of opera researchers and opera creators, and made great contributions to the prosperity of socialist opera cause. He has successively served as director of the drama department of Yan'an Lu Xun art college, vice president of northeast Lu Xun art college, Central Academy of drama and Chinese opera academy, President of Chinese opera academy, editor in chief of drama daily, vice president of Chinese art academy and vice president of Chinese Dramatists Association.

Chronology of life

Born in Changsha, Hunan Province on January 22, 1911.

He graduated from Chuyi school in 1927, and then entered Wuhan Huangpu No.7 branch school. Due to the failure of the great revolution, he was admitted to Shanghai Labor University in the autumn of that year.

In 1931, he participated in the activities of the left wing drama League in Wuhan. And founded "coal pit" magazine.

In 1932, he joined the left wing dramatists' Union in Shanghai.

In 1933, he came to Shanghai as a member of the Standing Committee of the left wing drama Federation, in charge of propaganda work, and founded journals such as life knowledge, new knowledge and new knowledge.

In 1934, he joined the Communist Party of China and served as a member of the Standing Committee of the left wing drama Federation. During this period, life knowledge and other journals wrote articles on drama theory, and adapted the drama Qiuyang based on the novel of Mei Limei.

In 1936, he published his first drama theory book, introduction to drama, and initially constructed his own drama theory framework.

After the outbreak of the Anti Japanese War, Zhang Geng led the "mobile performance team of ant society" to carry out Anti Japanese propaganda activities in Jiangsu, Hubei and other places along Jiangxi Province.

In 1938, he arrived in Yan'an, where he served as the director of the drama department of Lu Xun Academy of art and head of the Lu Xun Art Troupe. He was also responsible for the drama organizations in Yan'an and the Shaanxi Gansu Ningxia border region.

After the Yan'an Forum on literature and art in 1942, Zhang Geng led a team to carry out the Yangko movement in the countryside, and participated in the creation of new operas such as white haired girl.

In 1946, he went to the northeast liberated area and served as the vice president of the Northeast Shandong Arts and the head of the fourth troupe of Shandong Arts, culture and industry.

In 1949, he went to Beijing to attend the first National People's Congress and was elected vice president of all China Dramatists Association.

In 1991, he began to enjoy special government allowance.

He died on September 23, 2003 at the age of 93.

Achievements of traditional Chinese opera

Promoting the development of Drama Movement

In his early years, Zhang Geng translated some chapters in the origin of art by grocer, a German materialist art historian, and engaged in drama creation and artistic practice of director. He has participated in the collective creation of scripts such as "defending Lugou Bridge", adapted and created drama "Qiuyang", opera "autumn of a foreign country" and "turning over in Yong'an village". He also directed many dramas and operas, wrote many articles about drama, timely summarized the experience of drama movement, and promoted the development of drama movement.

Explain your personal point of view

Zhang Geng stressed that creation and criticism should be for the sake of readers and the audience. In a comment in the 1930s, he pointed out: "the real criticism should be to explain the content of a work for readers and the audience, the reasons for its success, or the reasons why it can't reach the highest level, and so on." In view of the fact that the theoretical level of the drama movement and the masses was not high at that time, he devoted himself to the research and popularization of the basic theory of drama, and integrated the characteristics of art, elaborated the position and role of script, actor, director, dance beauty, music and other departments in drama, as well as the close relationship between drama and the audience, and emphasized the artistic integrity of performance. The introduction to dramatic art published in Yan'an in 1942 makes a more in-depth and detailed exposition of these theoretical issues.

The form of national drama

Zhang Geng attached great importance to the heritage and form of national drama. In 1939, he wrote the article "nationalization of modern drama and modernization of old drama", which made a systematic summary. "We should completely change the westernized style of drama in the past and make it suitable for the broad masses of Chinese people," he said. "At present, the main work direction is popularization." After the founding of the people's Republic of China, he continued to explore the nationalization of drama. Zhang Geng was the first person to introduce Stanislavsky system in China. He respected the national art tradition, paid attention to making foreign things serve China, and opposed one-sided understanding of Stanislavsky system. He has made great achievements in the study of drama history, and is also one of the earliest researchers in the history of Chinese drama. In 1954, drama daily published his first draft of the history of Chinese drama movement, which discussed the historical reasons and characteristics of the formation of Chinese drama. He believes that the emergence of Chinese drama is not the result of simply transporting some foreign drama form to China, nor is it a special phenomenon in China due to people's subjective pursuit of a special art form at that time, but the realization of the strong demand for new life on the stage. For decades, Zhang Geng studied the practical problems in drama creation and summarized the characteristics of Chinese drama system through these studies, and gradually formed his own theory of "drama poetry" in his works.

Outstanding deeds

Zhang Geng Wenlu

In the complicated struggle, Zhang Geng carried out the party's line and developed the drama team of the great revolution. During this period, he worked with Hong Shen, Xia Yan, Yu Ling, Ling He, Zhang Min and others on collective creation. His drama "autumn sun", adapted from Mei Limei's novels, was performed in Shanghai and other cities, which aroused strong repercussions. He also tutored workers and students in acting, published life knowledge and other publications, and wrote theoretical and critical articles. His comments on Hong Shen and other writers' works and on the performances of left-wing drama groups all played a positive role in the drama movement because of their relevance and profundity. From then on, he paid close attention to the national drama, wrote articles and highly praised the national folk drama.

In 1942, he published an article summarizing the experience of Yangko movement, which was praised by Comrade Mao Zedong. During this period, he put forward the idea of "nationalization of modern drama and modernization of old drama" which has a long-term guiding significance for drama work; published an introduction to drama art, which absorbed the creative experience and theoretical achievements of foreign drama with a broad vision, and elaborated some basic principles of drama art in close connection with the reality of Chinese drama, which played an important role in the cultivation of drama cadres It's a huge role.

In the 1950s, in order to carry out the party's policy of opera reform, the Chinese Academy of opera received papers

Chinese PinYin : Zhang Geng