川劇簡介

一、川劇和中國戲曲

川劇，是中國戲曲的一種。戲曲，是唯有中國才有的一種戲劇樣式。戲曲成型于元代，1240年就被稱作戲曲，至今已有七百多年。

中國地域寬廣。因地方語言和民間音樂的差異，先先后后形成了三百六十多種地方戲曲。這些地方戲曲用自己所在的地名命名，比如，北京的戲曲叫京劇，四川的戲曲叫川劇。川劇是戲曲中的古老劇種，已有二百八十多年歷史。

雖然語言和音樂不同，但各個地方戲曲都是由劇本文學、聲樂與器樂、說唱藝術和舞蹈、美術、武術、雜技等綜合而成。這種高度的綜合性構成了中國戲曲的藝術特點。各個地方戲曲都是在這種藝術特點中，去展現(xiàn)其不同的地域個性。

由于戲曲中音樂的分量很重，西方人便用歌劇這個詞語來稱呼戲曲。把京劇叫作北京歌劇，把川劇叫作四川歌劇。其實，中國戲曲和西方歌劇是兩種完全不同的藝術。

A Brief Introduction to Sichuan Opera

1. Sichuan Opera and Chinese Opera

Sichuan Opera (chuanju) is a type of Chinese Opera (xiqu), a style of theatrical performance unique to China. Chinese Opera was formed in the Yuan Dynasty; in 1240 these melodic (qu) plays (xi) were first designated, giving the form a history of over 700 years.

Chinas territory is vast. Because of the differences in regional dialect and folk music styles, over 360 different kinds of regional Chinese Operas (difang xi) have formed. These regional Chinese Opera styles are named after their place of origin; for example, Beijings Chinese Opera style is called Beijing Opera ( jingju), Sichuans Chinese Opera is called Sichuan Opera (chuanju). Sichuan Opera is one of Chinese Operas ancient forms, with over 280 years of history.

Despite differences in dialect and music, each of the regional Chinese Opera forms is a composite art form, similarly consisting of dramatic literature, orchestra and percussion, vocal work and dance, aesthetics, martial arts, acrobatics and more. This high degree of comprehensiveness is one of the Chinese Opera art forms special characteristics. On the foundation of this key characteristic, each regional Chinese Opera form has developed its own geographic personality.

Because of the importance of music in Chinese Opera, Westerners have used the term opera (in Chinese: geju, ge musical, ju theatre) to translate Chinese Opera (in Chinese: xiqu, xi plays, qu melodic), making jingju（ jing from Beijing, ju theatre) into Beijing Opera and chuanju (chuan from Sichuan, again, ju theatre) into Sichuan Opera. However, what is called Chinese Opera and what is understood by Western Opera are two different art forms.

中國戲曲是一種高度綜合的民族藝術。唱、念、做、打、舞在演員身上的有機構成，是戲曲綜合性最集中、最突出的體現(xiàn)。唱，指演唱；念，指朗誦和對話；做，指形體和表情；打，指打仗、格斗等動作；舞，指表現(xiàn)人物情緒或戲劇場面的舞蹈。戲曲以唱、念、做、打、舞的綜合表演為手段，呈現(xiàn)為一種形式感極強的戲劇。川劇也是這樣一種形式感極強的戲劇。

二、戲曲（川劇）的虛擬性、程式性、寫意性

戲曲舞臺是一個基本不用布景裝置的舞臺。戲劇環(huán)境的確立，是以人物的活動為依據(jù)。人物上場表演了，舞臺上就有了戲劇環(huán)境；人物下場之后，舞臺就是一個抽象的空間。比如，一個人上場，說自己進城了，那么舞臺上就是城市。然后他說要出城過河，這時他從舞臺一邊走到舞臺另一邊，那么舞臺上的環(huán)境就從城里變成了河邊。這時，有個船夫劃著槳上場了，那么舞臺上的環(huán)境就是河邊來了一條小船。這人做一個跳上船的動作，船夫再用形體動作表示劃船，那么舞臺上的環(huán)境就是一條船行駛在河流中。從以上的描述可以看出，戲曲藝術的重要特征是非物質的虛擬性。它通過演員的動作和臺詞，來表現(xiàn)舞臺上的時間和空間，以及舞臺時空的轉換。川劇和所有的

Chinese Opera is a kind of highly composite folk art. Through the organic composition (via actors body) of singing (chang), reading (nian), doing (zuo), fighting (da), and dance (wu), Chinese Operas composite nature is most comprehensively and prominently reflected. Singing refers to the actors singing; reading refers to recitation; doing refers to physicality and expression; fighting refers to battle and combat actions; dance refers to performance of a characters emotions or dance within the dramas scenes. Through a combination of the means singing, reading, doing, fighting, and dance, Chinese Opera is presented as a strongly form-based drama; thus, Sichuan Opera should also be considered a strongly form-based drama.

2. Chinese Opera (and Sichuan Opera／chuanju) and its mime, codification, and freehand aesthetic

The Chinese Opera stage is one that for the most part does not use scenic backgrounds. The establishment of the theatrical environment is done through the activities of the characters. When the characters are on stage performing, the stage will have a scenic environment; after the characters exit the stage, the stage is simply an abstract space. For example, a person enters the stage, says he is coming into the city; thus, the city is on the stage. Afterwards, he says he wants to leave the city and cross a river. At this point, he moves from one side of the stage to the other; now the environment onstage has changed to a riverside. At this point, a boatman rowing an oar enters; now the environment onstage is a riverside where a small boat has arrived. The man makes a jumping motion as if jumping on to the boat, and the boat man begins to use movements indicating rowing again; now the environment onstage is that of a boat moving down a flowing river. From the above description you can see one of the most important features of Chinese Opera is its non -material based mime. Through the performer.s movements and text, the time and space of the stage is expressed, as well as the transformation of said time and space. Sichuan Opera and all other regional Chinese Opera forms all use this

地方戲曲一樣，都是這種演出方式。最近幾十年，戲曲舞臺開始有了布景裝置。但這些布景裝置，都力求不影響演員表演的虛擬性。

虛擬性的戲曲表演動作，當然與生活中的動作不同。比如前面說的走路、上船、劃船等動作，都必須合乎戲曲的程式。程式，就是把生活中的動作提煉、概括、美化而形成比較夸張的、有舞蹈意味的規(guī)范。戲曲演員在舞臺上表演關門、上樓、開窗、騎馬、劃船、走路、打仗、行軍等生活動作，包括每個人物的一舉一動、一顰一笑，都有固定的程式。這些程式是戲曲演員必須遵守的表演法則，是戲曲演員的基本功，就像芭蕾舞的腳尖、托舉和跳躍一樣，每個戲曲演員都要接受嚴格的基本功訓練。沒有程式的基本功，演員無法表演戲曲。程式基本功的好壞，決定戲曲演員的藝術水平。

戲曲表演的程式雖然是固定的、規(guī)范的，但也要與生活的真實感相結合。比如，在劃船的程式動作中，船是虛的，但槳是實在的。在騎馬的程式動作中，馬是虛的，但馬鞭是實在的；演員劃船、揮鞭或者在船上、在馬背上的狀態(tài)，都必須符合戲曲的程式，同時也必須符合人們的生活感受。程式動作通過演員的形體和表情體現(xiàn)，這種體現(xiàn)就叫身段。

戲曲有三五步行遍天下的說法。當戲曲中的人物用臺詞說明他要去的地方，同時從舞臺的一側走到另一側時，他就已經到了目的地。不管他走

kind of performance style. In recent decades, Chinese Opera stages have begun to use scenic elements. However, these scenic elements all strive to not affect the performers mimed performance.

Mimed actions within Chinese Opera performance of course are different from everyday actions. For example, in the description above, the actions of walking, boarding the boat, rowing, etc., all must adhere to the codification of Chinese Opera. Codification, then, is the process of taking everyday actions and refining them, generalizing them, aestheticizing as well as forming them to have a more exaggerated, dancelike specification. Chinese Opera performers, when performing daily actions on stage such as closing a door, ascending a staircase, opening a window, riding a horse, rowing a boat, walking, fighting, marching every move of a character, their every facial expression all use a fixed codification for said actions. This codification is a performance rule every Chinese Opera artist must obey; it is the basic skill set of a Chinese Opera performer, just as a ballet dancer must have strong toes, good lift, and solid jumps, and every performer must receive strict basic skill set training. Those performers without this basic skill set cannot perform Chinese Opera. Whether one.s basic skill set is strong or weak will determine a Chinese Opera performer.s artistic quality.

Although the codification of Chinese Opera performance is fixed and standardized, it does want to be combined with everyday realism. For example, as one is performing the codified action of rowing a boat, the boat is mimed but the oar is real. When performing the codified action of riding a horse, the horse is mimed but the horsewhip is real; the attitude of the performer rowing the boat or whipping the whip, atop the boat or on horseback must adhere to the codification of Chinese Opera but at the same time must also adhere to one.s feelings in everyday life. Through the actor.s body and facial expression, codified actions come to be called

physicality (shenduan).

Chinese Opera has an expression that reads three steps, five steps to walk all across the world. When a character in a Chinese Opera piece uses text to indicate that he is going somewhere, and at the same time moves from one side of the stage