The Jiangxi musical drama caichaxi: on the problem of the general and the particular
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The aim of the study is to identify the mechanisms shaping the local specificity of the Jiangxi caichaxi musical drama through the correlation between the general and the particular. The article distinguishes between early song-and-game and semi-ritual forms associated with the caicha song and the “caicha lantern”, and the musical drama caichaxi, which acquired a more stable genre form in the process of institutionalization. It is shown that labour-related singing, festive and playful elements, and the open nature of stage communication belong to the common foundations of folk theatrical forms and, in themselves, do not determine the local specificity of caichaxi. The particular is formed through the transformation of these common elements within the specific cultural environment of Jiangxi Province and is manifested in its local variants. Drawing on selected Jiangxi traditions, the study identifies characteristic features of musical-speech organization and performance plasticity associated with local dialects, methods of rhythmizing stage speech, local musical forms, and established techniques of stage movement. The scientific novelty of the study lies in specifying the local features of caichaxi and considering them as the result of the artistic transformation of common forms of folk theatrical culture.
Source: Pan-Art
DOI: 10.30853/pa20260072
Author: Xinyue Zhang
Institution: Vaganova Ballet Academy
Language: English
Topic: Arts and Performance Studies
Subfield: Visual Arts and Performing Arts
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7214124331