ScholarWorks@숙명여자대학교

초록

The Eightieth birthday celebrations of the Qianlong Emperor, who guided the Qing Empire to its zenith, constituted the most magnificent imperial birthday festivities in Chinese history, projecting the majesty and culture of the dynasty both domestically and abroad. At the heart of these celebrations were theatrical performances. Around August 13, 1790, splendid performances symbolizing the emperor’s longevity, a flourishing reign, tributary homage from myriad states, and the authority of the empire were staged both within the imperial court and beyond the palace walls. The initiative was conceived and executed under the auspices of the Southern Office of the Imperial Household Department, with the concerted collaboration of Beijing’s imperial princes and high officials, provincial bureaucrats, and the merchant community. Within the court, elite palace actors performed 108 celebratory plays from the Jiujiudaqing (Grand Collection of Palace Plays) as well as major works such as the Shengpingbaofa (Precious Treasures of Supreme Peace) on the grand three-tiered stages of Rehe, the Yuanmingyuan, and the Forbidden City. Outside the palace, from the Yuanmingyuan to the Xihua Gate, temporary stages were erected where regional troupes—invited from across the empire—presented a wide repertoire of works representing both northern and southern traditions. These theatrical performances for the emperor’s eightieth birthday transcended mere entertainment. They embodied imperial governance, diplomacy, and cultural prestige in visual form, and they represented the pinnacle of eighteenth-century Chinese theatrical art. Moreover, by fostering exchanges between Beijing and the provinces as well as between court theater and popular theater, they laid the critical foundations for the flourishing of Qing performance culture and the eventual emergence of Peking opera. Ultimately, these grand festivities can be regarded as the consummate outcome of the Qianlong Emperor’s profound passion for theater and his active patronage.

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