Turandot on the Chinese Opera Stage: The Challenges of Adapting the Western Opera Canon

This article examines the specific adaptations of Puccini's opera Turandot within the aesthetics and practices of various forms of Chinese theatre (Peking opera, Sichuan opera), as well as the mechanisms of cultural transmission and the transformation of meanings in the process of intercultural dialogue. The aim of the analysis is to convey real traditional Chinese concepts and cultural characteristics through the prism of Turandot. This study provides a comparative analysis of two productions of Turandot directed by Zhang Yimou, as well as versions of Sichuan opera and Peking opera. The focus is on plot lines, characterization, personality traits, and other aspects of expression. The results obtained can be applied to the analysis of other cases of intercultural adaptation of works of art and contribute to the development of a theory of intercultural communication in the arts. Research Method and Methodology: Comparative analysis of the original work and its Chinese stage interpretations, elements of receptive aesthetics, cultural and art historical analysis of theatrical productions, and a semiotic approach to the study of the sign systems of various operatic traditions. Novelty of the Study and Its Conclusions: This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the systemic semantic transformations that arise during the adaptation of Puccini's verismo opera to Chinese theatrical forms. Key strategies for adapting European cultural material and its reinterpretation within the context of the national artistic tradition are identified. It is demonstrated that the Chinese versions of the opera Turandot are not simple adaptations, but represent the creation of a new artistic phenomenon in which the fairy-tale plot serves as the basis for the expression of unique aesthetic and philosophical concepts. The scientific significance of the study lies in its systematization of specific mechanisms of cultural adaptation in the field of opera using Chinese interpretations of Puccini's work, which expands the understanding of intercultural communication processes in the arts and contributes to the study of contemporary forms of cultural transfer.