Yuan Xuefen’s Yue Opera Creations: Between Tradition and Modernity

Van Di ORCID: 0009-0004-8472-6542 Postgraduate student; Department of Arts; Lomonosov Moscow State University 3 Bolshaya Nikitskaya str., Moscow, 125009, Russia 302935735@qq.com

Relevance of the study

It is conditioned by the need for a comprehensive understanding of Yuan Xuefen's contribution to the modernization of Yue opera, which has transformed from a local genre of folk theater into a developed scenic art form with its own aesthetic principles. In the context of modern Chinese opera, her reform activities have an impact on artistic processes and the preservation of traditions in the context of globalization.

The problem of research

How did the reform measures implemented by Yuan Xuefen since 1942 lead to the formation of the modern appearance of Yue Opera through the integration of traditional elements with innovative approaches in musical accompaniment, drama, set design and acting, and what is the scientific significance of these changes for the development of the theoretical framework and organizational methods of the genre?

The purpose of the study

The research aims to identify the role of Yuan Xuefen in shaping the modern image of Yue Opera through the analysis of her artistic reforms, stage activities and theoretical developments, as well as to create a theoretical model describing the process of synthesis of traditional and modern approaches.

Scientific novelty of the research

The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that for the first time the analysis of Yuan Xuefen's creative path is systematically integrated, through which it was possible to identify specific mechanisms for synthesizing traditional elements of Yue opera with innovative approaches at that time in musical accompaniment, drama, set design and acting. Based on this, a new theoretical model of genre modernization has been formed and the unique contribution of Yuan Xuefen's reform activities to the development of both traditional and modern Chinese opera has been substantiated.

The degree of preliminary elaboration of the chosen topic

An analysis of existing research shows that the problem of Yuan Xuefen's creativity in the context of the modernization of Yue Opera has received significant scientific attention in the Chinese scientific community. In her work "The Ideas of the Scenic Art of Yuan Xuefen and their modern meaning", Shen Weimin analyzes in detail the features of the artist's scenic work, revealing the formation of new aesthetic approaches in Yue opera ^[1].

The biographical aspect of Yuan Xuefen's creative path is revealed in a monographic study by Lu Zhe, Tang Hanzhang and Li Junrong, where the authors describe in detail the stages of her artistic personality's formation and point out the importance of personal experience in shaping the modernizing trends of the genre, nevertheless, the work has a general, almost biographical character ^[2].

Lan Di (兰迪) in his work "All life is only for the sake of Yue Opera" gives an exhaustive emotional assessment of Yuan's contribution, the work states that Yuan Xuefen's dedication and dedication to art have become an important factor contributing to profound transformations within the framework of traditional opera, and even in some way determining its status in the history of the genre ^[3].

Yuan Xuefen's autobiographical work "In Search of the True Meaning of Life and Art" contains unique evidence of her personal vision and conceptual attitudes, reflecting the desire to combine traditional forms and modern innovations in opera art ^[4].

In his research, Jiang Uzhongqi focuses on the structural changes introduced by Yuan Xuefen in the development of Chinese Yue opera, and for this study provides an opportunity to identify the main areas of reforms that have had a lasting impact on the genre ^[5].

The mentioned sources demonstrate a high degree of scientific elaboration of the topic, however, this topic is very poorly reflected in the Russian segment, although it is of great cultural interest, and therefore there is a need to analyze aspects of reforms in the musical, dramatic and scenic components of Yue opera in order to form an idea of the process of reforming traditional Chinese art forms. and to create a picture of such a process for the Russian audience.

The theoretical significance of the research lies in the fact that it shows exactly how Yuan Xuefen's reformatory activity led to the synthesis of the traditional aesthetic foundations of Yue opera with innovative approaches in music, drama, set design and acting, and provides a new understanding of the evolution of the genre, as well as to create a methodological basis for further research of traditional theatrical arts.

The practical significance of the work lies in the fact that the results obtained can be used to improve educational programs and practical productions, allowing directors, actors and teachers to adapt traditional opera forms to modern requirements and expand the audience, while preserving cultural heritage.

The results of the study

It is proved that the reforms of Yuan Xuefen led to the creation of a systematic model of Yue opera, including standardized drama, musical traditions and stage performance. It is revealed that her innovations contributed to the popularization of Yue opera outside Zhejiang Province, making it a national genre. The article analyzes how her vocal style "袁派" (Yuanpai) influenced the subsequent development of the vocal schools of Yue opera. The significance of her theoretical legacy, including publications and research on the evolution of Yueh opera, is substantiated. It is determined that her work in the field of theater management and the organization of troupes laid the foundation for the modern personnel training system at the Yue Opera.

The continuity and spread of traditional Yue opera.

Yue Opera originated in 1906 in Dongwangcun Village, Shengxian County (now Shengzhou City), Shaoxing County, Zhejiang Province, and Shanghai as its cradle. Subsequently, it flourished throughout the country and spread throughout the world, following a centuries-old path of development. Over the 119-year historical period that has passed since then to the present day, the life path of one artist has been closely intertwined with the fate of this genre — Yuan Xuefen (1922-2011). Starting in 1930, when eight-year-old Yuan Xuefen enrolled in opera studies at the Gaosheng Wutai Yue Opera Women's School in Chongren Township, Shengxian County (now Shengzhou City), and ending in 1980, when, having performed "Song Fengguan" (《送凤冠》), she completed her artistic career on the stage of the Shanghai National Bolshoi Theater, — during these fifty years she drank in full both joys and sorrows and established for herself the rule: "to be a crystal honest person, to play extremely conscientiously," which led to the brilliant flourishing of her career. art. All her life she aspired to a beautiful ideal, and she embodied this "beautiful ideal" on stage, becoming the undisputed great master of Yue opera of her time and one of the true luminaries of Chinese opera art^{[1, p.27]}. Performing in numerous guises — an actress, a reformer, a keeper of tradition — she went through with Yue opera all the way through its transformation from a folk performance into a mature theatrical genre.

The most important characteristic feature of yue opera is the almost monopolized participation of women in the performance of roles, and this gives the genre a special femininity and sophistication. Historically, this genre evolved from folk songs and performances, which was reflected in the lightness of the melodic lines and the simplicity of the rhythmic organization. The point is that the emphasis is on lyricism, emotional depth and natural plasticity of movements, and the stage design is on expressive, but not flashy colorful costumes and makeup. The characteristic of the Yue opera according to the research is as follows: As noted by Zhao and Sornyai ^[11], the vocal style of Yue's opera is conventionally divided into two types. In particular, the male vocals present are characterized by pronounced individuality, smooth intonation and rich emotionality, while the female vocal style is distinguished by grace, clarity of articulation and perfection of technical performance. Li Yubing ^[12] points out that in 1942, opera actress Yuan Xuefen, having introduced elements of Kunqiu opera technique into the repertoire, formed a softer and more refined style of performance, which distinguishes Yue opera from other forms of Chinese opera art. According to Meng Yaoyu ^[13], the synthesis of local folklore and musical traditions led not only to the enrichment of the vocal language, but also to the development of stage images, which had a lasting impact on modern Beijing Opera and its regional variants, including Yue Opera.

Yuan Xuefen's artistic career has practically kept pace with the history of the development of women's Yue opera. As a child, she began studying at the Yue Opera School. In 1930, 8-year-old Yuan Xuefen was sent to study at the Gaosheng Wutai Yue Opera Women's School, but because she was too young, the teacher sent her back home after three days ^{[2, p.245]}. In 1933, 11-year-old Yuan Xuefen enrolled in another Yue Opera School, Sijichun, founded by Wang Tianxi in Shengxian County. During her studies, she received guidance and support from the famous "Dan" Wang Xinghua. In 1936, 14-year-old Yuan Xuefen went on tour with the Sijichun troupe for the first time in Hangzhou. Performing the play "Baihuatai" together with the guest role of "Dan" — Wang Xinghua on the same stage, she flashed her talent and instantly became the leading actress of the troupe. Thus, performing on the same stage with one of the pioneers of women's Yue opera, Wang Xinghua, Yuan Xuefen was influenced by her vocal manner and acting style ^{[3, p.171]}.

In September 1936 she and her troupe of "Section" first appeared on the Shanghai scene, performing in the afternoon on the stage of the old theatre Loja (老闸), with the song "Venho Sanzu" (《文武香球》), and in the evening at the Bolshoi theater Penglai (蓬莱大戏院), with the song "Liang Shanbo" (《梁山伯》) ^[4,5]. At that time, the Shanghai newspaper Xinwen Bao published an article titled "The tragic role of "Tribute" Yuan Xuefen equaled the fame of the queen of Yue opera Wang Xinghua, praising her skill in embodying tragic images and extraordinary talent in the role of "Tribute" traditional tragic roles. On November 4, 1936, the Shanghai Gaoting Gramophone Company invited Yuan Xuefen, Wang Xinghua, and Qian Miaohua to jointly record Yue's opera Fan Yuyang Kuta. This record became the first record in the history of women's Yue opera, marking an important milestone in the development of women's art of Yue opera.

In 1937, during the second tour of the Sijichun Troupe in Shanghai, Yuan Xuefen performed as the "Third Shoulder of Huadan" (. The term "shoulder" originally meant a burden on the shoulder and came to denote the importance of roles that an actor is capable of performing. In this role: the most important role is called the "first shoulder", the next is the "second shoulder", etc. The "third shoulder" is usually the most difficult to perform, but it is the actor of the "third shoulder" who hopes to stand out: if for some reason the "first shoulder" cannot come out, and the There is too much load on the "second shoulder", it is the "third shoulder" that usually replaces the "first". After the start of the "August 13 Incident" — the Battle of Shanghai, she returned home.

In 1938, Yuan Xuefen went on tour with the Sijichun troupe for the third time to Shanghai, performing successively on the stage of the Shanghai Simalu Theater, the Laozha Bolshoi Theater and the Dalai Theater. During this period, Yuan Xuefen, being the "first shoulder" in the role of "Dan", played on the same stage with such actresses as Ma Changhua, Zhu Xue, as well as with Wang Xinghua and Jin Xiangfeng, performing performances in Including "Baolian Deng" and "Panfu suofu". In a duet with the performer of the role of the younger "Sheng" Ma Changhua on the stage of the Dalai Theater, she carried out primary work on selecting valuable and eliminating outdated material from the traditional production of "Liang Zhu aishi" (the traditional "Sad Love Story of Liang and Zhu" — 《梁祝哀史》) and also performed Yue opera on the radio. In total, she played more than 70 performances during this period. Yuan Xuefen's "Tragic Tribute" quickly won the love of the Shanghai audience and gained great fame in the circles of the Shanghai Yue Opera. During these years, she adopted many classic Yue opera plots, accumulating deep acting skills and an extensive repertoire.

However, at the moment when Yuan Xuefen was at the peak of her fame and the Shanghai Yue opera market seemed to be thriving, she shrewdly caught the hidden crisis and limitations in the development of traditional Yue opera. This concern arose from her pursuit of higher artistic heights and laid the groundwork for her subsequent reforms of Yue Opera.

The reform of the "new" Yue opera: the search for modernization.

After the improvements made to the Yue Opera by artists led by Yao Shujuan, the genre flourished, captivating many Shanghai audiences. However, due to the fact that Beijing Opera, cinema and drama were widely imitated in the repertoire and manner of performance, the impression of "neither Chinese nor Western" art was created. The phenomenon when "Yue Opera ceases to look like itself" showed Yuan Xuefen that the external flourishing hides a crisis and the need for reforms is ripe^{[5, p.11]}.

In 1942, Yuan Xuefen began the path of reforming the Yue Opera. Having agreed on terms with Sun Wenyi, the representative of the head of the Sijichun Troupe, Lu Gendi, she joined forces with representatives of new literature and colleagues from Yue Opera, and began implementing a series of innovative measures at the Shanghai Dalai Theater. She even allocated 90% of her own salary to hire full—time playwrights, directors, and stage designers, and also created a production department that supervised performances. For the first time in the world of Yue Opera, a full-fledged system of writing plays and rehearsals was established; in addition, set design, costumes, and so on were reformed. Yuan Xuefen presented a new production of "Gumiao Yuanhun" on the stage of the Dalai Theater. Starting with the play "Duanchanren" (《断肠人》), Yuan Xuefen completely switched to the repertory system in Yue Opera. The play "Qingtian Hen", based on "Romeo and Juliet", was the first adaptation of Shakespeare in Yue opera. Subsequently, its new productions of "Wie Zinman" (《雨夜惊梦》), "Suede Huchun" (《雪地孤鸿》), "Tangshan Ganizani" (《天上人间》), "Mulan Tsuntsun" (《木兰从军》), "Cianci" (《西厢记》), "the Pipa JI" (《琵琶记》), etc. — they allowed Yue opera to go beyond the previous framework of family and household drama in its thematic scope, absorbing the patriotic spirit and social reality. Especially in 1946, based on the novel by Lu Xun "Zhifu" (《祝福)), she adapted and played the main role herself in the production of "Xianlinxao" (《祥林嫂》), giving the image of Xianlinxao a deep social meaning with her excellent performance; this production was called the "new milestone of Yue opera". In 1947, she organized the Shanhe Lian Charity performance featuring the Ten Sisters of Yue Opera, bringing together the leading actresses of the Shanghai Yue Opera to jointly promote its modernization process. One of the three founders of modern Chinese drama, Tian Han, noted in the article: The meaning of this performance is that the Yue opera actresses "found a new awakening" and realized that "it is necessary to achieve unity, because unity is strength" ^{[6, p.16]}.

At the stage art level, the reforms carried out under the leadership of Yuan Xuefen have become a comprehensive search for ways to modernize. In the field of music and vocals, she overcame the one-sided, cheerful singing style inherent in the former Yue opera [Xiong Qiang]. In 1943, at the premiere of the new historical play "Xiangfei" (《香妃》) Together with the Qing master Zhou Baocai, she created a completely new vocal style [Chidiao Qiang]. The new style was characterized by simple melody, depth of feeling, graceful sincerity and rich flavor, thanks to which it was quickly accepted by the public. Subsequently, [Chidiao Qiang It was gradually improved and became the main melodic structure of the Yue opera, on the basis of which the first female direction in the history of the genre was formed — the vocal style of the "Yuan school" (袁派). With the approval of the vocal style "school yuan" one after the other caused many directions such as "school of Yin" (尹派) Yin Guifan (尹桂芳), "school with Jin" (金派) Jin Zifan (金采风), "school Lu" (吕派) lü of zhuyin (吕瑞英), etc., and the vocal art of the Yue Opera flourished. Composer Liu Zhuzeng This is how he appreciated the significance of this innovation: "One melody [Chidiao Qiang] has developed a whole theatrical genre" ^{[2, p.48]}.

Yuan Xuefen has also made bold innovations with regard to orchestral accompaniment. In 1948, she staged the play "Shanhu Yin" (《珊瑚引》) based on the play written by Tian Han on the stages of the Shanghai cinema "Greater Shanghai" and the Bolshoi Theater "Zvezda". In this performance, Yuan Xuefen carried out significant reforms in the composition of the Yue Opera Orchestra. According to Zhou Baocai's memoirs, "four pipas were used in the accompaniment, as well as a sanxian, xiao, flute... we even made a large huqin." These musical innovations further expanded the expressive possibilities of Yue Opera and influenced other Shanghai Yue opera troupes, as well as related genres of Chinese opera ^{[7, p.174]}.

In the field of genre development and talent training, Yuan Xuefen's achievements are also outstanding. She boldly paved a new path for actors and actresses to play together, breathing new energy into the Yue Opera scene. For a long time, Yue opera was staged primarily by female troupes, and the all-female form of performance has become its hallmark. However, after the formation of New China, in order to more truthfully reflect modern life, Yuan Xuefen, with the support of the party, began trying to break this tradition. In the early 1950s, she thought about the problem of men and women performing together at the Yue Opera and conducted small experiments. Subsequently, while working at the Shanghai Yue Opera Theater, she actively promoted the practice of mixed cast: on the one hand, she trained male actors by creating training courses for the recruitment of young men, on the other, she staged new modern plays with the participation of both actors and actresses.

In the field of set design, new productions of the New Yue Opera era abandoned the primitive decorations of the traditional stage and switched to a modern stage concept combining realism and symbolism. Yuan Xuefen emphasized that the creation of a set design should proceed from the content of the play and the nature of the characters: costumes, decorations, props, lighting — everything should be as consistent as possible with the plot, forming a complete and harmonious aesthetic picture. In many new productions, new technical means such as three-dimensional decorations, colored lighting and sound effects were used; the costumes themselves became softer in colors and texture, giving the Yue Opera stage a unique new look.

In the field of acting and directing, Yuan Xuefen rejected the old "mubiao zhi" system, which relied on acting improvisation and template techniques, and was the first in Yue Opera to create a full-fledged system of scenario development, directing and administrative management of productions. The positions of playwright, director, composer, set designer were introduced in the troupe, and a production management department was created, which allowed Yue Opera to move from the old way of the troupe to a modern theater management system. In terms of acting, she proclaimed the principle of "taking the old for the benefit of the new": on the one hand, she adopted traditional treasures (for example, the elegant plastic Kunqiu), on the other, she borrowed realistic performance methods from drama theater and cinema, focused on revealing the character of the character. The actors began to pay more attention to the inner world and the character of the characters, organically combining the canonical techniques of singing, speech, stage movements and martial dance with a natural manner of acting, making the images more realistic and soulful. This new style of performance, together with the introduction of the institute of directing, transformed Yue Opera into a modern synthetic theatrical art combining drama, directing, acting, music and set design.

The reforms of the new Yue Opera under the leadership of Yuan Xuefen soon bore rich fruits: the artistic level of the Yue opera increased markedly, the ideological and artistic skills of the productions increased, and the audience expanded. "A number of new performances with a high ideological and artistic level appeared, which were not only warmly welcomed by the general public, but also received recognition and praise from the intelligentsia" ^{[8, p.17]}. Yue Opera instantly became the most popular opera genre in Shanghai. At the same time, the main Yue troupes moved from pre-war small theaters on the outskirts to large theater halls in the city center. The public status of the art of Yue Opera has increased significantly, and the women's Yue opera has proved that it is able to fully assume the mission of modern theater, gaining both the market and reputation. It can be said that the innovative force nurtured by Yuan Xuefen in the bosom of tradition has successfully brought Yue opera into the ranks of modern stage art, laying the foundations for its modernization.

The founder of the modernization of Yue opera and its influence.

As the founder of the modernization of Yue opera, Yuan Xuefen had a deep and multifaceted influence on this genre. First of all, musically, the [Chidiao Qiang (尺调腔) created by her] has become the main vocal style of Yue opera. In terms of art schools, she founded the first mature women's Dan school in the history of Yue Opera, the Yuan School. The vocal style of "Yuanpai" is based on her [Chidiao Qiang]: his melodies are soulfully sinuous, rich and elegant, reflecting the highest level of lyrical vocals in Yue opera. "Yuanpai" was popular not only in the 1940s, but also became the source of many subsequent schools: such famous vocal styles as "Yin school" (尹派) Yin Guifang, "Jin school" (金)) Jin Caifeng, "Lü school" (吕派) Lü Ruyin, all appeared directly or indirectly as the development of "Yuanpai". This had a profound impact on the enrichment and development of Yue Opera schools. Yuan Xuefen, through her personal efforts, laid the foundation for a new direction and infused powerful vital energy into the music of the Yue Opera.

At the same time, Yuan Xuefen's unique playing style and her repertoire preferences have deeply shaped the aesthetic features of Yue opera. She was particularly famous for creating tragic female images and is considered an important founder of the tragic trend in Yue opera. From Zhu Intay in the play "Liang and Zhu Sangbo Intay" (《梁山伯与祝英台》) and Cui Injin in "Cianci" (《西厢记》) to Buy Sujani in "Bichajian" (《白蛇传》) and Seglinsha (祥林嫂) in the same play — a series of classic characters created by yuan Suifeng, on the one hand, inherited the traditional sad beautiful aesthetic tone of Yue Opera, and on the other was riddled with deeply felt sincere emotions, raising the tragic aesthetics this Opera to new heights. In her performance, she skillfully used soulful, subtly nuanced vocals and extremely expressive facial expressions and plasticity to convey the joys and sorrows of the characters. According to statistics, among the staged and revised plays performed by Yuan Xuefen in 1942-1949, the majority were tragedies. The audience is especially well aware of the famous scenes with the "triple crying" and even the "quadruple crying" ("三哭" and "四哭"), in which, through gradually increasing intonations of sobs, she expressed the sadness and bitterness of her heroines extremely fully. These creative techniques consolidated the genre features of "Tragic Tribute" (悲旦) and "Bitter Drama" (苦戏) in Yue opera, becoming an integral part of its aesthetics. It can be said that with her original work, Yuan Xuefen enriched the scenic canons and emotional content of the Yue opera, influencing generations of its performers.

In addition to her stage work, Yuan Xuefen also played an important role in the development of genre theory. She deeply understood that the development of traditional theater is impossible without theoretical guidance and generalization. In the 1960s, Yuan Xuefen repeatedly called for the creation of an independent theoretical system of Yue opera, believing that "Chinese opera is a multigenre system, and Yue opera should have its own theoretical system"^{[9, p.44]}.

In the early 1960s, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Yuan Xuefen continued to work actively in Shanghai, holding senior positions in the Eastern‑The Chinese Experimental Yue Opera Ensemble and the Shanghai Yue Opera Academy. This period was accompanied by great hopes for the further development of national traditions in the context of socialist reconstruction. With the beginning of the cultural revolution in 1966, the situation changed radically, because traditional art forms, and of course opera, were declared outdated and reactionary, and many prominent cultural figures were severely persecuted. Yuan Xuefen, who previously enjoyed wide popularity and held an honorable position in the academic community, was among those who were subjected to public censure. Deprived of her position, she was forced to suspend her creative activities. The period of the cultural revolution was accompanied by intense censorship, which led to the disappearance of many documents and evidence of her professional work, and in fact this stage became a time of "creative stagnation", when even the most striking achievements of the past years remained inaccessible to the public. It was only after the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976 that the process of restoration of cultural institutions began, and Yuan Xuefen was reinstated at the Shanghai Yue Opera Academy, having the opportunity to resume both teaching and performing activities. In fact, this post‑cultural-revolutionary stage was marked by attempts to return traditional forms to the stage, adapting them to new political and economic realities. Despite the fact that the documentary evidence of that time has been preserved in fragments, archival materials, memoirs of colleagues and memoirs of her students indicate that it was during this period that Yuan Xuefen played a key role in the revival and modernization of the Yue Opera. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she again actively performed and taught, passing on her accumulated experience to new generations of artists ^[14].

In 1983, Yuan Xuefen initiated and led the first "Scientific Conference on the Reform of the Yue Opera." In 1985, after retiring from the post of director of the Shanghai Yue Opera Theater, she immediately began to create a research department for the art of Yue Opera at the theater, bringing together experts from different fields to systematize and study art. In 1988, according to her plan, the Shanghai Yue Opera Art Research Center was established, and, becoming its first director, she led the work of theater critics and leading artists to jointly build the theoretical framework of the genre.

Under her leadership, the center has published a series of specialized works, such as the "chronicle of the Shanghai Yue Opera" (《上海越剧志》), "the Yue Scenography of the Opera" (《越剧舞台美术》), "Treatise on the art of Yue Opera" (《越剧艺术论》), "a History of Yue Opera" (《越剧发展史》), "the collected works of yuan Suifeng" (《袁雪芬文集》), etc., thereby laying the foundations of theoretical system of Yue Opera, combining history, history and theory, and filling a gap in academic research. It is noteworthy that Yuan Xuefen personally acted as the editor-in-chief or chairman of the editorial boards of these publications and wrote the forewords to them, which indicates her high responsibility for the scientific development of this opera. Thanks to her active initiative in the 1980s, Yue opera gradually acquired a full-fledged theoretical system.

Thanks to her direct planning and support, the first generation of male actors from Yue Opera appeared on stage - Shi Jihua, Liu Jue, Zhang Guohua, Shen Jialin, and others. In the 1960s, these actors could already play leading roles along with actresses in productions of Shiilan, Xianlincao and March Tide, demonstrating a different style of acting on stage compared to purely female troupes. Practice has proved that the mixed male and female cast has opened a new path of development for Yue Opera. Experiments with a mixed cast, conducted, in particular, by the Yue Opera Company of Zhejiang Province and the Shanghai Yue Opera Theater, allowed for a freer display of modern subjects, enriched its expressive means and made an outstanding contribution to adapting the genre to the demands of the time. Yuan Xuefen, as the founder of this initiative, not only put forward the idea, but also brought it to life by preparing personnel, which from now on allowed actors and actresses to perform together. Thanks to her efforts, the new form of mixed productions was gradually adopted by the Yue opera community, expanding the thematic framework and audience base of the genre, as well as inspiring its further development^{[10, p.20]}.

Yuan Xuefen has made an equally outstanding contribution to the popularization and dissemination of Yue opera. Thanks to her joint efforts with Yue's contemporaries, the opera emerged from the villages of Shengxian County in Zhejiang, entered the major cities of Hangzhou, Shanghai, etc., and from Shanghai spread throughout China and even went on tour abroad. Back in the 1950s, Yuan Xuefen was actively involved in bringing Yue's art of opera to the cinema screen. In 1950, her film "Xianxiang" (《相思树》) marked the beginning of the Yue opera adaptations; and in 1953, the film "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai", shot with her participation and with Fan Ruijuan (范瑞娟), became the first color opera film of New China and was released nationwide. This step allowed Yue Opera to overcome the limitations of the theater scene, becoming famous and beloved by audiences throughout China. In subsequent classic films such as "Liang Zhu" and "Xixianji", Yuan Xuefen also shone with her acting, which consolidated Yue's influence in cinema. Through touring performances and cinematography, Yuan Xuefen allowed Yue Opera's charm to transcend Jiangnan and step into the world, greatly enhancing her fame and reputation.

Based on the analysis of the materials presented in the article, an integration model of the modernization of the Yue opera has been formed, shown in the figure 1. In this model, the traditional cultural foundation of Yue opera, embracing classical aesthetics, traditional musical, dramatic and scenic canons, is synthesized with a number of innovative approaches implemented by Yuan Xuefen in the course of her reform activities.

Figure 1. The integrative model of modernization of Yue Opera through the reform activities of Yuan Xuefen

Based on this model, it is possible to draw a curious conclusion that Yuan Xuefen's reformatory activity not only transformed the individual components of traditional Yue opera, but also synthesized them as the sum of the properties of a new theatrical model, where tradition organically integrates with modernity.

The formed theoretical model of modernization substantiates Yuan Xuefen's unique contribution to the development of both traditional and modern Chinese opera, and also serves as a methodological basis for further analysis of the transformation processes of traditional theatrical arts in the context of globalization and modern cultural changes.

Conclusion. The research was aimed at identifying the role of Yuan Xuefen in shaping the modern image of the Yue Opera through an analysis of her artistic reforms, stage activities and theoretical developments. It should be noted that using comparative and historical-biographical approaches, the article proves that Yuan Xuefen, deeply rooted in traditional Yue opera, introduced a number of innovative changes related to musical melodies, drama and set design. Based on the data analysis, the results of this study can be understood as confirmation that it was she who laid the foundations of the Yue opera system model, combining traditional canons and modern directorial solutions, and she was the reason for the popularization of the genre outside Zhejiang Province. The material presented in the article also suggests that her reforms in the field of vocal style (the formation of the "Yuan school") and theater management are not limited to local significance, but have become the basis for further development of the theory and practice of Yue opera. The article reveals that Yuan Xuefen's reformatory activities led to the sustainable development of Yue Opera and the consolidation of its style between tradition and modernity, as well as ensuring the genre's long-term relevance in the context of national and world culture. Based on the theses outlined in the work, an integration model was formulated that led to the success of the reformed Yue opera.

Further research should take a closer look at the potential consequences of Yuan Xuefen's reforms in the context of globalization and the diversity of the Chinese opera scene. In the following studies, it is possible to consider the relationship between the modernized vocal schools of Yue opera and other types of traditional theater in order to identify more universal mechanisms of creative synthesis.