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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
The Comic Image of City God in Contemporary China
Author(s)
SUN Minchih
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DOI:10.17265/2328-2177/2023.04.002
Affiliation(s)
Shantou University, Shantou, China
ABSTRACT
Three short performances from three regional operas present an eccentric comic image of Chenghuang 城隍 (City God). This serious and formidable god is performed by the role of chou 丑 (clown), and the role’s physical art shatters the audience’s perception of this god’s traditional image. The role’s exaggerated and awkward body also results in a performance-centered structure in which negative aspects of human nature are vividly portrayed. The eccentric representation brings laughter, but the laughter is also fully charged with Confucian concepts of goodness, righteousness, justice, and tianli 天理 (the way of heaven). Turning a divine image into a hilarious one is an unconventional manner and also a peculiar tactic of these performers. Through this tactic, these performers not only hide their subtle criticism of the reality and the authority to survive censorship but also disseminate successfully traditional values and folk religious beliefs. This tactic indicates the cultural function of the theater and demonstrates how traditions can remain valid and functional through a force that arises from the interaction between Confucianism, folk religious beliefs, and performance.
KEYWORDS
Chenghuang (City God), comedy, exaggerated body, performance-centered structure, Confucianism
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