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

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on the “dragon head phoenix tail” red boats. Other rituals were performed to counteract undesirable mishaps. At each venue, the opera troupe performed either seven (four days and three nights) or nine shows (four days and five nights). 73 Usually, the main shows started about ten-o’clock in the evening, and very often, lasted until two o’clock a.m. the next day. After the main show, the apprentices performed tin kwong hei (dawn show), usually wu plays with kungfu actions that are accompanied by heavy percussion. As the name indicates, the dawn show lasted until daybreak. A troupe usually stayed in a town for a few days, and different repertoire was performed each day. Living accommodations were arranged for the performers if the venue for performance was more than eight li (Chinese mile) from the shore (one mile is equivalent to 2.794 li). An opera year consisted of two vacation periods: ten-day period before Chinese New Year called the “short vacation,” and the 18 days before the birthday of Gun Yum called the “long vacation.” The short vacation allowed performers, instrumentalists and all troupe members to visit their families and rest before the hectic performance schedule starting on the New Year’s Day (this usually falls in February of the Western Calendar). The long vacation between two opera seasons was used for boat painting and maintenance. Guangzhou was the city where most troupes had their headquarters. Each company owned a few troupes. When the troupes were in high demand, some companies become enterprises. Very often, popular troupes were solidly booked for a few years. The organization Gaat Hing Gung Soeng, situated in Wong Saa, was a public legal office for the maai hei, “selling of opera.” Managers of troupes and private parties from towns requiring performances met at Gaat Hing Gung Soeng to transact. Each troupe had two marketing personnel, the “hung gong” (hung means walking, gong means river). One was stationed at Guangzhou and Gaat Hing Gung 73 Toa Wong, Hung sun time bai, 1. 31
Soeng. Another brought lists of play titles, with the cast of lead performers for the forthcoming years, to towns and villages for marketing and scheduling performances. The manager of a troupe was an experienced administrator. He was responsible for the cast and the profitability of the troupe. The owner relied heavily on the manager for business and was usually little involved with decisions. The aim of the business was not to have any idle days. The contract between an opera troupe and the local sponsoring party included the supply of rice, cooking oil, vegetables, meat, kerosene for lighting, and wood for cooking. 74 According to Wong, upon arrival at a performing venue, the day show ended with the full stage show of the playlet Inaugaration of a Six Alliance Kingdoms Appointed Chancellor. All performers gathered for dinner after the afternoon playlets, either ashore or on the boat. This was also the time the director /scriptwriter talked to the performers about details of the evening shows. 75 Only one statue was placed on a boat; that was the Tin Hau, Goddess of the Sky. 76 The statue of Tin Hau was located at the stern of the sky boat close to the kitchen. Tin Hau blessed peaceful travelling and boat living. Disciples paid tribute to five deities. Only Zhang Ngh was a human. 77 Another deity was Wah Kwong, God of fire, who did not burn the stage but could have done so. In the Qing dynasty, a troupe performed the opera Yok Wong Dung Gei (Inauguration of Yok Wong, king of the Other World). According to legend, Yok Wong was upset, and sent the God of Fire to Earth for investigation. The God of Fire found that the purpose of the play was to deliver the word “Ming,” meaning back to Ming dynasty from the Qing (people were yearning not to be governed by the Manchu any more). Wah Kwong realized the truth and saved the performers by not burning the stage. 74 Toa Wong, Hung sun time bai, 75 Conversation with Wong Toa, 2007. 76 Telephone interview with Wong, March 2010. 77 Interview with Yuen. 32
Page 1 and 2: RED BOAT TROUPES AND CANTONESE OPER
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Page 5 and 6: Electronic Version Approved: Mauree
Page 7 and 8: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to D
Page 9 and 10: LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Map of Ch
Page 11 and 12: transcriptions retain the old Yale
Page 13 and 14: y me, by people from the estuary, b
Page 15 and 16: properties from town to town in the
Page 17 and 18: perform at venues such as Caesar’
Page 19 and 20: After reading Lai Kin’s proceedin
Page 21 and 22: This report includes voices from va
Page 23 and 24: Chinese is a comprehensive referenc
Page 25 and 26: seven looks into issues of class an
Page 27 and 28: performers were selected from ladie
Page 29 and 30: places gathered in Peking to perfor
Page 31 and 32: home. But Dr. Sun Yat Sen, a leader
Page 33 and 34: the river is shallow, these flat bo
Page 35 and 36: Chapter Three The Red Boat Society
Page 37 and 38: Foshan was an Earth Boat, which has
Page 39 and 40: Troupes] were all-female troupes th
Page 41: on a hill, or at the river-bank ear
Page 45 and 46: o’clock a.m. After the main featu
Page 47 and 48: Chapter Four The Plays According to
Page 49 and 50: The performance practice of ritual
Page 51 and 52: I have not seen ritual playlets per
Page 53 and 54: ecome a zong jyun, bon aan, or tam
Page 55 and 56: Chapter Five The Music Cantonese op
Page 57 and 58: Recitatives in a Cantonese opera in
Page 59 and 60: The bright sound was desirable espe
Page 61 and 62: two). 115 The new instrument, calle
Page 63 and 64: goe tan are actually more attractiv
Page 65 and 66: Many ji ceong 120 lie in the backst
Page 67 and 68: of the eyes upward and ties it tigh
Page 69 and 70: 1911 and 1949. Audiences are no lon
Page 71 and 72: performing industry when I was youn
Page 73 and 74: Chapter Seven Hong Kong— Social I
Page 75 and 76: To attract spectators, Sit and Ma h
Page 77 and 78: women looking forward to troupes co
Page 79 and 80: After his teacher 13 th Son of Nam
Page 81 and 82: made up new industries in the 1960s
Page 83 and 84: Peking opera fa dan (leading female
Page 85 and 86: Selecting virtues of a few male fri
Page 87 and 88: Chapter Eight China and Vancouver M
Page 89 and 90: violin, the koh hu, and he also tra
Page 91 and 92: Figure 13. Mr. C. Chan at the Qing
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The 94-year-old gentleman walked ad
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Ling: What is in your mind when you
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legendarily departed from Hong Kong
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A Chinese instrumental orchestra, s
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Ms. Chan was the lead singer in the
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Cantonese opera is not static; it i
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___. “Chinese Street Opera Perfor
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___. “Narrative Song: Southern Tr
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second jester Ga Lueng Yee, a serva
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4. As the two young people are havi
Page 113 and 114:
features, he turns to Ci Yung. Wai
Page 115:
Appendix B: Interviewees 104
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