Recent Chronologically Organized Reference Books Concerning Chinese Indigenous Theater (Xiqu)

RESEARCH NOTE: RECENT CHRONOLOGICALLY ORGANIZED REFERENCE BOOKS CONCERNING CHINESE INDIGENOUS THEATER (XIQU) DAVID L. ROLSTON University of Michigan A recent phenomenon is the increasingly frequent appearance of reference books dealing with indigenous Chinese theater (xiqu 戲曲) that are arranged chronologically . This phenomenon probably relates both to the increasing growth of this field of study and the number of reference books published every year in China (it appears that there is a pretty steady market for them and they can be sold for relatively high prices).1 The titles of these texts have terms such as xinian 繫年 (arranged by year), biannian 編年 (chronological), and nianpu 年譜 (typically refers to chronological biographies). Chronological compilations of material concerning xiqu are not that new,2 and some of the more comprehensive nianpu of Ming Qing playwrights took care to present chronologically material not only on the playwright but also on his contemporaries ,3 but such works were few in number and tended to be fairly limited in scope until recent decades. Below I present a list of titles known to me, arranged according to their time scope. Nianpu of playwrights or actors are not included.4 1 Two separate encyclopedias of Jingju 京劇 (Peking opera), one selling for almost 900 RMB and another for almost 1,000 RMB, were published in 2011. The print run for the first printing of one of them was 5,000 copies (the other did not provide information on the print run). 2 For instance, Zhou Mingtai 周明泰 (1896–1994) published Wushi nian lai Beiping xiju shiliao 五十年來北平戲劇史料 (Historical material on theater in Beiping in the last 50 years), which lists theater programs by year, and Dao Xian yi lai Liyuan xinian xiaolu 道咸以來梨園繫 年小錄 (A small annalistic record of theater from the Daoguang and Xianfeng reign periods to the present) in 1932. 3 Zhang Peiheng 章培恒, Hong Sheng nianpu 洪昇年譜 (Chronological biography of Hong Sheng; Shanghai: Shanghai guji, 1979) is an early and well regarded example. 4 Particularly worthy of mention are those collected in Xu Shuofang 徐朔方 (1923–2007), Wan Ming qujia nianpu 晚明曲家年譜 (Chronological biographies of late Ming playwrights; Hangzhou: Zhejiang guji, 1993). Recent nianpu for xiqu artists include Li Shiqiang 李世強, Ma Lianliang yishi nianpu, 1901–1951 馬連良藝事年譜 (An annal of the artistic activities of Ma Lianliang , 1901–1950; Beijing: Zhongguo xiju, 2012); Jiang Peiyi 江沛毅, Yu Zhenfei nianpu 俞振飛年 譜 (Chronological biography of Yu Zhenfei; Shanghai: Shanghai wenyi, 2011); Wang Changfa 王 長發 and Liu Hua 劉華, Mei Lanfang nianpu 梅蘭芳年譜 (Chronological biography of Mei Lanfang; Nanjing: Hehai daxue, 1994; revised version included in vol. 4 of Mei Lanfang quanji 梅蘭芳全集 [Complete works of Mei Lanfang; Shijiazhuang: Hebei jiaoyu, 2001]); and Xie Sijin 謝思進 and Sun Lihua 孫利華, Mei Lanfang yishu nianpu 梅蘭芳藝術年譜 (Chronology of Mei Lanfang’s Art; Beijing: Wenhua yishu, 2009). CHINOPERL: Journal of Chinese Oral and Performing Literature 34. 2 (December 2015): 185–187© The Permanent Conference on Chinese Oral and Performing Literature, Inc. 2015 DOI 10.1080/01937774.2015.1096569 Besides being a convenient resource, these works have the advantage of making you look at incidents and other types of material in reference to other things going on in that same year rather than isolated from them. Some of these works are also provided with indexes. Of all the different types of xiqu, Jingu (Peking opera) gets the most attention. Although this note is about ‘‘chronologies’’ published as separate works, it should not be forgotten than many reference works on xiqu contain different types of chronologies (nianbiao 年表) in their appendices.5 Shorter works of this kind have also been published as separate articles in journals.6 Wang Yongkuan 王永寬 and Wang Gang 王綱. Zhongguo xiqu shi biannian 中國戲曲史編年 (Chronology for the history of xiqu). Zhengzhou: Zhongzhou guji, 1994. Cheng Huaping 程華平. Ming Qing chuanqi biannian shigao 明清傳奇編 年史稿 (Draft chronological history of chuanqi drama in the Ming and Qing dynasties; Jinan: Qi Lu shushe, 2008). Wang Hanmin 王漢民 and Liu Qiyu 劉奇玉. Qingdai xiqu shi biannian 清代戲曲史料編年 (History of Qing dynasty xiqu arranged according to year). Chengdu: Ba Shu shushe, 2008. Ding Shumei 丁淑梅. Qingdai jinhui xiqu shiliao biannian 清代禁毁戲曲 史料編年 (Material on the prohibition and destruction of xiqu in the Qing dynasty arranged according to year). Chengdu: Sichuan daxue, 2010.7 Zhao Shanlin 趙山林. Zhongguo jindai xiqu biannian (1840–1919) 中國 近代戲曲編年 (Chronology of Chinese xiqu in the modern period, 1840– 1919). Shanghai: Huadong shifan daxue, 2008. _____, Tian...