The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1860-04-21
Correspondence Of the New York Times.
CHINA IN CALIFORNIA.


The Chinese Opers-Twe Thousand Years In
NtsAt-Cslsssial 1nstvsMen nes = Mnstc-Essrs
efdlsary Performances ON the Ntaxo-yamplrs
and Osres, DOable-eRded Giants and the Dea
RsstsFed u Lifs-Curisns Csnedy-Ths wssi'
before the Fled.
San FRAxcrsco, March 5tb, 1860.
Two nights OF last week spent in th,
heart Of China. 1t cost me but 81 nigh
to get there, and no worse penalties thar
the perpetual suspicion of feas ever since
and horrid din in the ears. A noted com
pany Of Chinese dramatists came to town
and for their performances took the rickety
rat haunted, weather stained cd Unior
Thears, on Commercial street. During
the da,, / ven ured through tn hole in ths
wall, u which an alteration in the grade cl
the street has reduced the once imposing
entrance Of the Union. The properties all
came in while loitered there, in half a
dozen chests. The curtains, drops, flies
we're Of no account, as they never are when
ths Celestials do drama.
Punctually at u P. NJ. the curious enter.
t,inment began. Three women came leap-
ing in from under narrow curtain behind
the left of the stage, and almost immedi-
ateJ mounting n table. fell to singing in
mos, lugubrous strains. By some invisible
means, ns they sang. doll was deposited in
the rms of one Of them; by turns they all
fondld it. The doll appeared to be the
infan. Empire, and the three sisters the
Fates. While they are prophecying its des-
tiny, ls me speak of the music and the au-
dience. The orchestra has it, position upon
the sta,e, in the rear of the performers:
The fullband consists Of seven musicians
and dozen instruments, among them two
hee- heens. one saw heen. one ses-yu, one
law, one kto- law, and one 500 ". As all
your intelligent readers m " not feel ns en-
tirely athome in the mysteries the of Celest al
syllable as do, after ten minutes talk with
my walherwoman. little expnsition may
not be amiss. The ge heen looks like a
speakers gavel-n long handled ma''et hav-
ing tw, strings Of cat-gut stretched from
keys athe top to one face Of the mallet.
Betree, the strings play the strings OF the
crescen bow; 8, that sleepy a. the performer
may be, 80 long as the arm swings at the
elbow, md the ge-heen stands straight upon
his knee the delicious music must be emit
ed. Th, sau heen Is three stringrd ban
10. whos melody is solicited hv the thumb
and fingers of the right hand. The ZOO is
a hollov reed. with the mouth piece but
little to the left Of the centre.-a rude, dis
reputabe fife. The koo hoois stout oak
en- tub, he top Of which is covered with
gong. rhe lap is gong suspended from
the ceiing by cord. The soo-lap il n
small disc Of bell metal, which. when struck
with wooden hammer, gives out the charm
Ing sound of a cas. iron pot-ld. Beside
these, iu frequent requisitlcn, arr small
gong, resting on . tripod; two immense
cynbal- shaped gongs, which, when cisshed
with energy, would drown the rumble of not
vey distant thunder and globe of hard
wo,d set in a frame, from which at right
andes projects a hardwood arm. When
the player beats the globe with his hammer,
a ullen cluck marks the time; when he
strikes the arm, you have the ravishing
sond. of the Ethiopian minstrel's bones.
Wrn the actors treat Of love and the do
mesic virtues, the orchestra coma up strong
on The stringed Instruments; when VEN
geaice, war, or tempest is the theme, nerve
youself for the terrible pongs; but the pot
lid md the cluck a"e never intermitted. The
muicians. all but tsp'or 10000 blower,
kee putting at their p'pes, end in consider
atio of his bereav emenf, he rests from his
labes as often rs possible, and from his
hnoIah adds to the cloud Of tobacco smoke
thatpoothes and envelopes the actors.
Yunever saw more attentive audience.
They,ever applaud, and they eat no pea
nuts. The pit is full of men, all wearing
their nps, but not all their wooden shoes,
whichfor cool refreshment they kick of,
curlim their feet under them, or laying
them good Christian style ever the backs
of theseat before them. Most Of them are
smoki p, the occupants of the front circles
savingthe cost of matches by firing up at
the fotlghts. The first three seats OF the
drsss-ircle are aacredlv surrendered to the
womeI The men behind. though crowded,
leave ne vacant seat between them and the
femals. Throughout the evening the sexes
peIer Exchange a word, scarcely look.
The wmen smoke long, elaborate pipes, or
else garettes, and every one seems to
carry he materials for making light. Be-
tween.he smoking they chew melon seeds,
or SUD black chunks of some internal con-
fectiosry. There are but half dozen white
people present, whom. politely, tho men
pilot ) the private boxes.
But the three sisters have ceased from
their ecitative, jumped down from the table
and rn out through o curtain on the right
of thetage-it is the uniform point Of exit,
% its counterpart on the left is Of entrance.
And low the work of playing begins in
Garnet, and without moments pause con.
tinueEhow dong? The encyclopedias say
that sChinese drama rsqu res weeks for its
performance. Detcrm ned to test the truth
4 -
that d l2a A. NJ, the last howl had been
uttera, and the po'ing lights were put out.
But tie FIVE hours had suficed to represent
scot of centuries. To get the hang Of
the spry was almost as difficult as to dis
cover the drift of an Italian opera when
one tnsts to the graceful English render
,ngs. But, fortunately, had the aid of an
INTELLIGENT interpreter, who, to most Of my
questbns, answered, eyes," Very fine"
..Youlike it?" go, yes, China CUSTOM"
"Vho is this high cock alorum," asked.
"drosed in gorgeous six NIB 'oideries, with
epreal fans stuck in his hair, and feathers
of hi.own length curving like . he goat .
hornsfrom his head %
"h yes,-him all same as Gub'nur,'' -
was De reply.
"Ad that plucky youth in the blue shirt,
who Knocks the Governor around so saw
agelyf"
"Ok him waterman, fetchee water, see?'
"Djes this scene represent any particular
evenrin the history Of your Empire?"
ooh! Nm fghtee waw-all same"
fllow long ago!"
Oh! two thousand years-more too,
SELF"
chc same actor in the same dress repre-
sated some forty different Emperors-was
hi own father, his own son and grandson
fd many generations-was the Legitimate
Successor aud the successful usurper. An
assistant hung up n card, designating in
unexceptionable Chinese, the time and place
Of the scene; but the music never stopped
for the Intervention of a century, nor did
the actors, more than to run through one
curtain and back through another. The
role of star anticipated the deluge and
outlasted the late rebellion. The almond
eyed and high-born lady, with feet no lar.
ger than your wrist. was pattern Of all the
virtues at 8 O'Clock, was bastinadoed for
the worst of crimes at 10, and ucifed a,
IL. 1t has been said tha. women never rls-
::a-.r own parts on the Chinese stage. They
certainly did here, as the feet Of one Of them
testified. 1t twould be easier to believe tha,
women played the mems parts, to Judge
from their voices for whether it was reci.