Gender Components of Chinese Vocal and Stage Art

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to determine the specific features of gender identity in Chinese vocal and stage art. In particular, to analyse the place and significance of femininity as a component of the image of “tribute”, the art of male travesty is considered in accordance with its place in Chinese opera culture. The research methodology is based on the fundamental principles of historical and cultural analysis, as well as an interdisciplinary and systematic approaches to the problem. The conceptual methodological core of the study is a systematic analysis of identity, as well as the concept of gender from the standpoint of its psychological state and social construction in art, rather than its physical and biological characteristics. The scientific novelty of the study is characterised by the fact that for the first time an attempt has been made to systematise the characteristic features of gender identity in the vocal and stage arts, from the standpoint of their characteristic of Beijing opera in accordance with femininity and muscularity in Chinese culture. Conclusions. As a result of the conducted research, it has been determined that the tradition of predominantly male cross-gender dressing in Chinese vocal and stage art performs a complex cultural function of constructing and broadcasting the type of femininity that was necessary for a patriarchal society with a rigid binary gender structure. In the process of its development, this art has become a reflection of the current state of cultural philosophy from its Confucian position. It is also noted that according to the Chinese culture, which has developed in opera, femininity or masculinity is not tied to the biological definition of gender, but is flexible in accordance with the general cultural aesthetic picture of the world.

Key words: gender, vocal and stage art, Beijing opera.