Xiqu Reform after 1949

Post-1949 xiqu reform was a state-led remaking of repertory, personnel and institutions that reshaped traditional and modern opera

Related

Banqiang FormJinghuBangu (Peking-opera drum)Qupai

Time and place

Xiqu reform began in 1949 and unfolded through the 1950s, centred on Beijing with opera-reform offices in every province. On 5 May 1951 the Government Administration Council issued its directive on opera reform, known as the May 5 Directive. In 1956 the Zhejiang Kunju company brought Fifteen Strings of Cash to Beijing, a landmark of the reform.

What happened

The reform had three strands: repertory, personnel and institutions. Repertory meant sorting traditional plays, removing superstition and erotic matter, and banning some old pieces in stages. Reform committees argued over which plays were feudal and which could be saved. Personnel meant study and organisation for performers. Institutions meant turning private troupes into state or collective companies. Traditional plays were edited, modern plays commissioned, and director, script and stage design replaced the old star system.

Musical features

The reformed stage prized a complete script, unified direction and designed music. Aria still followed the genre's banqiang or qupai structure, but composers now notated, fixed and orchestrated the tunes, adding Western instruments and harmony. New scores fixed the tempo, so two performances sounded more alike than before. Bands grew from a handful of melody and percussion players to mixed Chinese-Western ensembles, richer in volume and colour, changing the old improvisation between singer and accompanist.

What to listen for

Hear the Beijing Huagu, a flower-drum skit tune, for how local song-and-dance sounded before city stages. Then hear the shadow-play tune, with its banqiang upper and lower phrases, as source material for reformed local opera. Finally hear Hebei Bangzi Hao, with its high northern delivery. None is a post-reform stage recording.

Common misunderstandings

Xiqu reform is often equated with the Cultural Revolution. It began in 1949, while the later movement came after 1966, with different policies and results. Others think reform meant only banning plays, though editing, adaptation, new writing and institutional change mattered equally. Nor was it meant to erase tradition; many old plays returned to the stage through reform.

Sources

• 1951年5月5日政务院《关于戏曲改革工作的指示》— 条文核对，未引用
• The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., entry "China" — opera policy checked, not quoted

Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.