The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-07
CHINESE THEATER.
NOVEL ENTERTAINMENT TO BE
GIVEN AT THE WORLDS FAIR

GIVEN AT THE WORLDS FAIR.
The Celestials' Drama-It is Like Moth
ing Else on Earth - Two Hundred
Actors From the Flowery Kingdom
to Interest the Crowds-A Strange
Play House and Still Stranger
Actors.
From the Washington StGr.
Chicago seems determined to have the
Original or the counterfeit presentment of
Everything that will interest, instruct or
amuse people during the worlds fair The
latest reported addition to the collection Of
curios is a Chinese theater. 1t is to be
located just outside the worlds fair
grounds and will contain bazaar and Chi
nese restaurant. ! stock company of 200
actors and artists will be imported directly
from the aowery kingdom, the permit for
their entrance having been conditionally
/ granted.
The Chinese theater is like no other house
| Of entertainment on earth, and II this
| worlds fair Mongolisn enterprise is run on
| strictly celestial plans there Is q picnic
ahead for the uninitiated sightseer.
CHINESE TRADITION
gives it out that the Chinese drama was
mimioking the woes of the world and
dancing ballets icons of ages before Greece
made spot on the map. This may be taken
cum grdno sails, however. for the celes-
tials, like political parties are much given
to claiming everything in sight and great
4 deal that isn't. They claim that their
learned men of medicine taught Mr.. Escu-
iapius his primer in physics, and that print
ing was the pRstime Of their professors
thousands OF years before Messrs. Gutten-
berg, Faust and Caxton appeared on the
Il scene OF action, and as for the other arts
H and sciences they had them con the
list" when the waters separated and the
dry land appeared. They don't pin much
faith to things that do not antedate "a. D."
SO It 10 altogether probable that the
f Acknowledged orientals get onto some other
+ fellows reservation quite often In their
e vigorous attempts to locate claims.
FATHER OF THE CHINESE DRAMA.
q The actual facts In the case, as substau-
/ tiated by history, show that Wau TIE, a
a blue dragon emperor, who hourished about
the year $50 A. D., was the father of the
3 Chinese drama. He seems also to be respon-
sible for the celestial who stalks the stage
Il aud Kisses 81 a hatea you'll" in two strides
q and one pose, or who roars as gentle as
sucking dove, in Chinese hieroglyphics, IF
it will f-e-e-d nothing elsea, it viii f-e-e-da
my r-e-v-e-n-g-e.n
Heun Tsung, who welded the celestial
s scepter about 800 years later claims the
6 honors of dramatic paternity, but Wau Te
seems to have filed his papers about three
centuries too early for Mr.. Tsung.
THE CHINESE DRAMA.
The Chinese are queer people to claim,
as they do, 1000 or'more years of civiliza-
ton, and In nothing does their popularity
n crop out as In their dramatic art The
& Chinese drama is never immoral-accord-
B ing 30 the law. There is no suggestion of
vulgarity, no questionable illusions are
made, no social frailties paraded inltheatri-
5 cal representations according to the law.
n There is special provision in the penal
a code Of China which prohibits presentations
b OF immortality upon the stage. AS If it VI ere
not enough, Buddha himself takes a hand
n in purging the play, by canonical law. This
canon Is unique. 1t recites that the author
/ Of an Immoral play must not only suffer
II the pangs Of torment while in the flesh for
infringement of moral laws, but he must,
after death, enter purgatorial place where
he sizzles and signs as long as bis play Is
produced upon earth.
THE LAW NOT ENFORCED.
In such a country and with such laws
Ssrdou and Dumas. Byron and the Bard
Of Avon would seem to stand a mighty poor
/ show, while the lord high executioner would
find business booming If the law was en-
forced, (which it isn't" The "Clemenceau
Cases. and "Camilles" of the Chinese drama
1 are just as numerous in the land of Confu-
Gus as they are in the territory of Uncle
Sam. Women and wantonness seem insep-
ably connected in the minds of Chinese
dramatists, but love is not often the theme
of their labors. The Quarrels Of kings and
spites of petty dignitaries form the corner
stones of their ponderous plays and histor-
lcai incidents compose the superstructure.
II the historical hopper gives out, religion
steps in and Buddha gets whirI There is
section In the penal code which forbids
the introduction into plays Of emperors,
expresses, princes or generals of former
ages, but they are impersonated "jusU in
the same old way" despite the law.
NO ACTRESSES.
One section of the penal code is strictly
f enforced. No women are permitted to APP
pear on the stage in China. This happens
because once upon time an emperor fell in
n love with Chinese actress and plucked her
from the stage to adorn his collection of
+ Wlfes. Henceforth women were forbidden
to get IN China, whether to protect emper-
n ors from their wiles or actresses frouI the
~ opportunities of emperors is not known,
history being silent on the subject. When
n female parts are written in smooth faced
ii youths impersonate the characters.
THE BEST ACTORS ARE SLAVES.
n Acting is is not considered an honorable
profession in China, because the best actors
are slaves. They are purchased from their
"a parents when mere infants, and are edu-
Gated in the dramatic art from the time
"A they can talk and walk They are not we'll
y paid. and they seem to have no future, be-
cause to have been an actor makes them in
4 eligible for official position, which in
China is the acme Of ambition in Mon
" gOlian.
THE FIRST CHINESE DRAMA,
like that Of Greece and Italy and India, was
a mixture Of pRntomime, speaking parts
aud ballet, and was supposed to represent
the conquest of China by Won Wong.
Long after that the relative style was in
troduced and a funny falsetto style of
chanting the finer poetical passages. This
chanting was done by the leading man, who
was also supposed TO represent the author of
y the play This came in under the Sung dy-
nasty and the plays of that period were
called Hi-Khio.
THE CLASSICAL PERIOD
OF Chinese drama came under the Kin and
Iuen dynasties from 1875 to 1867. The list
n OF dramatic authors under the Yuen dy-
nasty comprises eighty-five, and something
ME 564 plays were written.
& Most of the Chinese plays that have been
IL