Interaction inside and outside the court : the institutional evolution and the folk influence of the Qing court theatre

Abstract

Existing research on the Qing court theatre has tended to pay attention to the foundation and development of Shengpingshu 昇平署 in the late Qing period, but there were insufficient research on how the court theatre affected the folk theatre. From the perspective of the interaction inside and outside the court, this article examines the institutional evolution of the Qing court theatre and its influence on the folk theatre. Firstly, in the early Qing dynasty, the institutions of court theatre of Nanfu 南府and Jingshan 景山 unified the ceremonial and moral edification under the management of the Neiwufu 內務府. The abolition of the yuehu 樂戶 system changed the identities of the actors and deeply affected the ecology of the folk theatre. Secondly, with the institutional evolution from Nanfu and Jingshan to Shengpingshu, the folk actors were moving in and out of the court. These actors' movement created opportunities for exchange between the court theatre and the public theatre. Thirdly, under the framework of Neiwufu, the court theatre participated in the management of the national theatre, through the Jingzhongmiao Liyuan Gonghui 精忠廟梨園公會 in Beijing and the Laolangmiao Liyuan Zongju 老郎廟梨園總局 in Suzhou, with the officials of Nanfu and Shengpingshu given the specific duties of selecting the actors, assimilating drama texts, and exercising censorship on the folk performances. 學界關於清代宮廷戲曲的制度研究，多關注晚清昇平署的變遷，特別是外學進入宮廷，卻在宮廷如何影響民間的問題上有所不足。本文以宮廷內外的戲曲互動為視角，考察宮廷戲曲的制度變遷及其對民間演劇的管理與影響：首先，清初宮廷戲曲機構發展為內務府管理下的南府、景山，將外朝與內廷演戲統一於皇權之下的儀典與教化，樂戶制度的廢除改變了伶人的身分，極大影響民間戲曲的生態。其次，從南府、景山的外學民籍與旗籍伶人，到昇平署屢次裁退與引進的外學伶人，「自下而上」的「進」與「自上而下」的「退」，都使宮廷演劇始終與民間演劇相互流通，相互影響。第三，內務府架構下的宮廷戲曲，經由京師精忠廟梨園公會與蘇州老郎廟梨園總局管理全國戲班，在採擇吸收民間戲劇的同時，也在文化建設與政治審查上管理著民間演劇。