Misreading the Stage: On Logical and Theoretical Problems in the So-called "Realist Tradition" of Chinese Opera

Chen Yaxin has published a series of articles attempting to reconstruct a "realist tradition" in Chinese opera through examinations of operatic imagery, stage directions, costumes, and stage properties, while characterizing theories of xieyi (expressiveness) and non-realism as misinterpretations constructed under the cultural tensions between China and the West in the twentieth century. Although this line of argument is presented in the form of historical textual and material analysis, it in fact exhibits systematic problems on multiple levels. At the level of stage practice, it reflects an insufficient understanding of fundamental principles of Chinese opera and a consequent misuse of evidence; at the level of logic, it conflates operatic performance with theatrical spectacle, frequently deriving judgments of aesthetic nature directly from the mere existence of historical phenomena and relying on circular reasoning; at the theoretical level, the application of the categories of "realism" and "expressiveness" is detached from the specific context of operatic performance, resulting in a systematic misinterpretation of opera as a performative art. By directly defining phenomena such as the use of Qing-style costumes, bamboo horses, and live animals on stage as "realist performance," such arguments are not only difficult to sustain, but may further exacerbate conceptual confusion surrounding the mechanisms of Chinese opera performance.