RED BOAT TROUPES AND CANTONESE ... - University of Georgia

places gathered in Peking to perform. The monumental gathering became a fruitful exchange for
opera types such as the Hanju, Faiju, and Kwanju. Kwanju, the oldest, was called the “ancestor
of all operas.” The opera originated in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province in the Eastern part of China.
Kwanju was a predecessor of the Peking Opera, (opera of the capitol). It is also influential in
forming Cantonese Opera. The introduction of percussion instruments, such as the Chinese
clapper and drums of this vernacular genre added more flavor to its Cantonese counterpart.
Cantonese opera was originally sung in Goon Waih (goon means mandarin, and waih
means dialect.) It may have been a language spoken as far back as the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618-
907) in court and among Mandarins. The dialect in the Middle Region has since gone through
many changes because of the invasion of two dynasties of foreign rule, the Mongols and the
Manchurian. But the old dialect, to some extent, was retained in performance in the Guangdong
province and later became Cantonese opera. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, mo toi
goon waih, (stage mandarin dialect) was the language used in Cantonese opera.
Through the speech of a character, performers had the chance to address their
disappointment and the social injustice of the regime. Performers and troupes members very
often became targets of persecution from the regime. In the last two centuries, performers were
important in leading insurgencies and campaigns. Performer Lee Man Mau led troupes fight
against Qing soldiers in answering the calls from the Tai Ping Kingdom of Heavenly Peace, a
civilian organized rebel group against the Qing Imperial regime. 35 Wearing opera costumes, the
participants used kung fu and acrobatic skills that they had learned from performance in combat.
Lee and many of his followers were captured and imprisoned in the 1854 coup. The same year,
King Fa Wui Goon, the building that hosted the guild in the city of Foshan, was also burned
35 Toa Wong, Hung sun time bai, 3.
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