Michael Yang

Instructor Rachel Feldman

Writing 2

January 28, 2020

WP1 - Are They Doing Sichuan Opera Justice?

Need to travel back in time? You do not need to borrow Mcfly’s Delorean or steal Dr.

Strange’s Time Stone, simply walk into an opera theater in Chengdu, China. Every word uttered

is an epitome of linguistic evolution over thousands of years. Every story is a reenactment of the

lives of the Chinese or Chinese people before modern times. From exquisite singing to

astonishing stunts like fire-spitting, Sichuan Opera really is a precious gem forged by ancient

Chinese wisdom. In light of this, many writers have taken on the challenge of writing about

Sichuan Opera. Cheng C.,Cheng K.Q, and Craig Smith each wrote an Op-ed that is lifestyle-

oriented on Sichuan Opera. The first article, written by Cheng C., talks about the impact of

Sichuan opera on a group of LA audiences. The second article, crafted by Cheng K.Q., reports

about a group of opera performers who went to Spain. And finally, Smith notes the difficulties an

opera performer encounters when trying to pass down his legacy. In this paper, the articles will

be analyzed on the basis of genre conventions. I contend that genre conventions are similar

when authors are writing for the same genre; however, the way authors execute conventions is

fluid, which is affected by their writing style and target audience.

According to Dirk, the nature of genre can be fluid as genres are consistently evolving (Dirk

252). The genre of the three texts, which is lifestyle Op-Ed articles, can be deduced from the

titles of the texts. Cheng C.'s article has the title "China's Sichuan Opera moves LA audience, not

just for face-changing" (Chengcheng). As seen, the title conveys an opinion, the argumentative
nature is embodied by the words "moves LA audience" leaving readers wondering what makes

the opera so special to have an international impact. As for Cheng K.Q.'s title, "Spectacular

Chinese Sichuan Opera Arrives in Spain", the word “spectacular” is an indicator of the text that

the author is going to use the paper justify (Cheng). Lastly, Smith's article, "Man of a Thousand

Faces Planning to Share a Few", has a provocative title (Smith). Although it does not

immediately convey an opinion, it is hinting that the author is going to make a judgment-based

response because the title presents a perplexing idea making readers ponder why this man only

plans on sharing a few. The opinion factor is hence present in all three articles. The texts can

further be categorized as lifestyle articles because Sichuanis a branch of Chinese culture. The

genre of these three texts places several genre related restrictions on the content of the pieces.

First, since they are lifestyle articles, they aim to target a wide range of audiences. As a result,

authors are expected to use relatively simple language. It would be unreasonable to have the

article written in Shakespearean English for the general public, as the language is not suitable for

the general public. Further, the authors should take into account that their audiences may not

have prior knowledge of Sichuan Opera. Thus, they should explain technical terms like "face

changing," which is a highly skillful technique used in opera where the performer changes his or

her mask in an instant to represent character development. Otherwise, it would be like reading a

list of lengthy protein names to a non biologist.

With this being said, the execution of writing is still highly variable depending on the

particular group of audiences. Cheng C. and Cheng K. Q's articles were both posted in 2018 to

the international sections of Chinese news agency pages. Smith's article, on the other hand, was

published in the New York Times in 2001. Before even delving into the text, several assertions

can already be made. Since Cheng C. and Cheng K.Q. are writing to international audiences as
Chinese writers, their purpose is likely to promote Sichuan opera to international audiences.

Smith's goal would be slightly different since his audience is a group of western readers in the

early 21st century so that it may be more informative.A characteristic feature of these three

lifestyle Op-Eds is that the authors frequently use evidence to bolster their opinions. C Cheng

C.'s article is almost entirely composed of direct quotes. For instance, Cheng C. uses the words

of a curator at the Huntington to demonstrate that Sichuan Opera has international influence. The

curator notes, "The characters in the play are all expressed vividly and full of deep going

connotation" (Chengcheng 1). This directly fulfills the author's objective of promoting Chinese

opera. Using the remarks of a non-Chinese viewer adds most authority when expressing the idea

that Sichuan Opera has international impact. An example of Smith using quotes is when he talks

about the opposition encountered by the opera performer when trying to pass the legacy down.

An official from the theater troupe says, "Most people in Sichuan opera circles oppose this"

(Smith). Smith then analyzes and evaluates the quote by explaining why he thinks that is the

case. This is different to how Cheng C. treats the quotes because Cheng C. does not extrapolate

more information from the quote. Smith's quotations function as positive statements, whereas

Cheng C.'s are more normative. Both authors' choices are effective, considering the context. If

Cheng C. had excessively made personal analysis, his international readers would think that his

claims are one-sided. As for Smith, he had to go beyond the quotes to provide a convincing

narrative to his readers. Cheng K.Q, whose article is about opera in Spain, uses photographs as

evidence to bolster his claim (Cheng). His choice is also contextually effective because showing

photos of opera performers in Spain is the most direct way to prove to the readers about the

impressiveness of Sichuan Opera. While using evidence is the common denominator for the
three articles, as seen, execution is very different. This is just like handing the same script to

different directors, the outcomes are very different.

Further, The three lifestyle-oriented Op-Eds share common features in diction. Word choice is

typically direct and straightforward across the three texts. Evidence of such can be Cheng K.Q.'s

summary of Sichuan Opera, which notes, "Sichuan Opera is a style with original music and a

colorful repertoire that represents subtle interpretive skills" (Cheng). The sentence is written in

active voice, it features simple words that are easily understandable by a broad range of

audiences. Smith's article stands out when comparing word choice across the three texts.

Although Smith's article does utilize a lot of direct language, he, at times, makes attempts at

humor. For instance, he calls an opera performer a "a self-promoting scoundrel" (Smith). The

language is audacious, generating astonishing reactions from readers. The context can again

justify the use of such language. Smith needs to think about the audience who have no clue about

Sichuan Opera at all. Hence, he puts forth extra effort to grab attention because his readers may

not have any interest in Sichuan Opera.

The formatting is quite different across the three texts in general. Cheng C.'s article is

composed entirely of quotes. The paragraphs are extremely short, making the read very fast.

Smith's material is a lot harder to read in relative comparison. As noted previously, some

expressions used are very literary, and certainly require a bit more deliberation to fully

comprehend the text. Cheng K. Q's article has photos, making it very visual. One of the photos is

a characteristic picture of a Sichuan Opera Performer. The resolution is high and immediately

grabs the attention from readers. The formatting is a factor that is much more fluid than word

choice or evidence use; this is because the different formats do not change the integrity of their

identity as lifestyle- oriented Op-Eds.The values of the three pieces are contextual and are highly
dependent on the audience. If a Chinese reader were to read Smith's article, the reader would

likely be triggered by how the author caricatures Sichuan Opera. The performer in the text has

put in countless hours of effort practicing the opera. Hence, the author calling him a "scoundrel"

can come off very offensive (Smith). However, it would be justified considering that the target

audience requires powerful attention grabbers. This goes on to show that there is not a set of

defining criteria when it comes to deciding which article is the best. The chosen three were

effective in serving their own purposes. As Kerry Dirk notes in her paper “Navigating Genres,”

“genres often have formulaic features, but these features can change even as the nature of the

genre remains.” (Dirk 253). Similarly, in the case of the three pieces, even though the nature of

their genres is the same, their differing features arise from authors’ personality and from serving

different purposes. Hence, it would render the attempt to determine which article is better

ineffectual as they possess and execute different features. All in all, as seen through the three

articles,there are certain structural guidelines authors abide by when writing in the same genre.

These guidelines are like the framework of the house, but how the authors choose to furnish the

house is completely up to them. Writing for a genre is not filling the blanks; it is more like

directors interpreting a script for a movie. There are numerous variables that authors can play

with to express their flair and serve their target audiences.

Work Cited:"Chengdu Journal; Man Of A Thousand Faces Planning To Share A Few".

Nytimes.Com, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/07/world/chengdu-journal-man-of-a-

thousand-faces-planning-to-share-a-few.html.

"China's Sichuan Opera Moves LA Audience, Not Just For Face-Changing - Xinhua |

English.News.Cn". Xinhuanet.Com, 2020, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-

02/28/c_137004329.htm.
Dirk, Kerry. “Navigating Genres” Writing Spaces, Readings on Writing, vol.1, 2010, pp. 249-

262. "Spectacular Chinese Sichuan Opera Arrives In Spain". Ichongqing, 2020,

https://www.ichongqing.info/2018/10/18/spectacular-traditional-chinese-sichuan-opera-arriving-

in-spain/.