A Study on the Portrayal of Female Characters in Yu Opera

-- Taking Mu Guiying Takes Command (Mu Guiying Gua Shuai) as an Example

Abstract

Yu Opera, as a representative form of Yellow River opera culture in the Central Plains, possesses a distinctive artistic appeal. As one of the principal role types in Yu Opera, the Dan role has undergone a transition from male performers to female actresses and has gradually developed into a richer classification system with the inclusion of Wu Dan (martial female), Daoma Dan (female warrior), and Shuai Dan (female commander role), the latter being specifically developed for the role of Mu Guiying. Mu Guiying Takes Command (Mu Guiying Gua Shuai), a classic work in which Ma Jinfeng performed female roles, was adapted from the traditional Yu Opera Lao Zheng Dong. It portrays Mu Guiying as an outstanding female commander who is tactically astute, patriotic, powerful, and intrepid, and whose characterization carries profound feminist implications, thereby greatly promoting the portrayal of female characters in Yu Opera. Taking the classic excerpt “three cannonades outside the camp gate roar like thunder” (Yuan Men Wai San Sheng Pao Ru Tong Lei Zhen) from the 1954 version of Lao Zheng Dong and the 1979 version of Mu Guiying Takes Command (Mu Guiying Gua Shuai) as examples, this study explores the portrayal of female characters in Yu Opera through a comparative and analytical approach from three perspectives: the evolution of lyrics, the artistic treatment of singing, and emotional expression. It further examines the changes in the connotations of feminist development as reflected through these adaptations and transformations.