The article systematically examines the process of modernization of Chinese Xiqu (), primarily focusing on Beijing opera (Jingju, ), starting from the 1960s. It emphasizes that modernization does not mean "replacing tradition with modernity," but rather represents a continuous systematic renewal and dynamic balance occurring at the levels of production processes, performance technologies, musical structures, scenography, distribution mechanisms, and audience structures. It notes that the modernization of Xiqu has always been shaped by the tension between the genre’s internal need to maintain its ontological independence and external pressures from socio-cultural functions and political demands, resulting in various aesthetic tendencies at different periods. On a narrative level, the article focuses on the psychological depth of new historical dramas: using the example of the play “Cao Cao and Yang Xiu,” it demonstrates how the driving force of the plot shifts from an external ethical judgment to the onstage explication of the characters' internal psychological activity, which in turn updates the principles of character creation, conflict organization, and stage rhythm. On the level of stage art, it analyzes how the assimilation of modern theater theories leads to a rethinking and "rediscovery" of Xiqu aesthetics, as well as the formation of a new trend in reconstructing its genre-ontological characteristics. Methodologically, the article combines historical periodization with institutional-mechanistic analysis, aesthetic-performative and semiotic interpretations. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the systematization of the modernization of Xiqu (primarily Jingju) since the 1960s through a connection of institutional, production-rehearsal, and aesthetic-performative analyses. A two-axis evaluation of Yanbansi is introduced as a modernization of technological parameters while simultaneously undergoing a revolutionary-normative transformation. Based on “Cao Cao and Yang Xiu,” it clarifies the mechanism of psychological conflict and its onstage explication, linked to the formation of a directing paradigm. In conclusion, it asserts that the process of modernization of Xiqu continues; the Chinese experience can serve as a benchmark for comparative analysis of other national artistic forms in a global context. A retrospective overview and critical reflection on the history of modernization can provide a sustainable "sense of boundaries" and assessment criteria necessary for the future development of Xiqu.
Mu Yan (Sun,) studied this question.