ABSTRACT
The Chinese actor must submit himself to a long training which is probably unequalled in the severity of its discipline and in the past was noted for the harsh demands made upon youthful pupils. When he has mastered his craft he must face an audience whose critical fastidiousness is carried to a point which would probably drive his Western colleague to exasperation. Not only that, the Chinese theatre audience must be among the most unconventional of such gatherings anywhere and the onlooker might be forgiven if at times he thought the last thing it was interested in was the actors on the stage. The young actor making his debut will receive no encouragement from the onlookers, he must stand trial before their seeming indifference; if he proves his mettle he will eventually be accepted, but it takes time. No concessions are made in front of the footlights. There are no overnight cuts to stardom and even if, as was the case with Mei Lan-fang, the actor makes a brilliant debut, it will take many years of hard work and hard living to establish himself as an artist capable of carrying on the great traditions of his predecessors. The ching hsi actor must play to an audience which is primarily interested in the technique of interpretation of accepted forms, and he is judged from the beginning in the light of masters who have already set the standards for these forms. The newcomer must re-create a stage character in a way which fulfils all the conventional requirements and yet possess the talent to give it new life and spirit with his personality and mark it apart from soul-less imitation. Depending on his ability to do this he will be started on the road to success or dismissed to failure. These at any rate were the standards that applied even of late years, though probably more strictly to the letter in Peking than in other cities. The Peking theatregoer has always been the most uncompromising critic as well as the most ardent stage devotee. Within recent times the standards of appreciation have changed in audiences. A younger generation, in a modern world of all kinds of new entertainments, has not the same regard for the old drama as its forefathers and consequently cares less about the finer points of classical acting.
