Open Collections

Opera Stage at Bu [Family] North Fort (卜北堡)

From the Ground Up: Buddhism & East Asian Religions (FROGBEAR Project)

The opera stage at Bu [Family] North Fort (Bu Bei Bu 卜北堡) is located outside of the old walled village, facing west in through the gate. According to the gate inscriptions, the gate (and therefore the village fortifications) was originally built at this location in 1516, and was repaired in 1835. The temple that faces the stage atop the gate is dedicated to Wenchang 文昌/Zitong 梓潼, but it may be that the stage was originally meant to face some structure within the old fortified village, either the Lower Jade Springs Monastery (Xia Yuquan si 下玉泉寺) or the Tower to the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang ge 玉皇閣) at the western end of the town. The two flanking front-stage walls show the heroes of the Romance of the Investiture of the Gods (Fengshen Yanyi 封神演義) battling each other amidst magic clouds. These images are unique and no other such paintings are known from the area. Wooden panels above the now-vanished proscenium wall show a narrative drawn from chapters 46-51 of the Investiture, concerning three goddesses and the ‘Nine Bends of the Yellow River Formation’ (Huanghe jiuqu zhen 黃河九曲鎮). While unusual in Yu County and as opera stage decorations, this narrative is found painted in temples in neighboring northern Shanxi province, where it is often connected with the exorcistic ‘Nine Bends’ (jiuqu 九曲) labyrinth rituals performed at New Years. Triangular rafter panels show scenes from the classic novel Journey to the West (Xiyouji 西遊記). The murals are not dated, but should be 19th century based on style.

Hebei Sheng (China); Yu Xian (Hebei Sheng, China); 39.846383; 114.533357

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North China Mural Survey

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0413662

Non UBC

Graduate

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