A Comparative Study of the Texts of Peking Opera Hwayongdo and Pansori Hwayongdo

This study compared and analyzed saseol (texts like lyrics and dialogues) of Chinese Peking opera Hwayongdo (華容道 The Huarong Path) and the passage of 'Hwayongdo' in Korean pansori (musical storytelling) Jeokbyeokga. To this end, reviewing the written materials related to the Peking opera Hwayongdo, it found that it was first included under the title Dangcao in Chewangfu quben, a collection of librettos of early Peking opera works from the mid-Qing Dynasty (1636-1912). The title Hwayongdo was first used in the 'Qingshengping ban ximu' (repertoire of plays by the Qingshengping troupe) of the Chinese literature Dao Xian yilai Liyuan xinian xiaolu (a small record of the theater from the Daoguang and Xianfeng) at the 4th year of the Daoguang Emperor (1824). The results of comparing the saseol of the Peking opera Hwayongdo included in Jingju chuantong juben huibian (a collection of traditional Peking opera scripts) with that of 'Hwayongdo' in Jeokbyeokga performed by Song Sun-seop are as follows. First, the Hwayongdo of the two countries were different in terms of saseol composition by each section. Scenes were added to the beginning section in Peking opera whereas they were added in the middle and final sections in pansori. Second, the development of saseol contents was generally similar, but there were differences in the focal point of the description. Pansori 'Hwayongdo' had a strong tendency to express the character's way of speaking, expression, and appearance vividly and realistically. However, the Peking opera Hwayongdo was concisely organized around the plot. This phenomenon is not only because Chinese audiences are more familiar with the contents of the novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms , but also because the dialogue, acting, and makeup of Peking opera actors were able to vividly express Hwayongdo and thus a realistic description was unnecessary. On the other hand, Korean audiences would have been very curious about the exotic subject matter and characters appearing in 'Hwayongdo' and to satisfy this curiosity, a more detailed description and added content would have been needed. This study are significant in that they confirm how the traditional performing art of China and Korea, both based on the same novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms , has developed as different types of contents in the process of accommodating the performance environment and the taste of audiences.