Peking (Beijing) Opera

One of China's most famous art forms is the 200-year-old Jingxi (Beijing or Peking Opera). Other regions have also developed distinctive operatic style. With its roots in musical forms dating from the Ming Dynasty, Beijing Opera offers an intricate display of song, pantomime, dance, and acrobatics. The action swirls around four traditional characters and the many twists and turns of the plot are tunefully sung.

The Origin of Beijing Opera
Although it is called Beijing opera, its origins are not in Beijing but in the Chinese provinces of Anhui and Hubei. Beijing opera got its two main melodies, Xipi and Erhuang, from Anhui and Hubei operas. Much dialogue is also carried out in an archaic dialect originating partially from those regions.
It also absorbed music and arias from other operas and musical arts such as the historic Qinqiang as well as being very strongly influenced by Kunqu, the form that preceded it as court art. It is regarded that Beijing opera was born when the Four Great Anhui Troupes came to Beijing in 1790. Beijing opera was originally staged for the court and came into the public later. In 1828, some famous Hubei troupes came to Beijing. They often jointly performed in the stage with Anhui troupes. The combination gradually formed Beijing opera's main melodies.

The Roles Classification in Beijing Opera
The roles of Beijing Opera are strictly classified. There were altogether ten types of roles in the beginning, which were sheng, dan, jing, chou, mo, fu, wai, wu, za, and liu. Later, they were reclassified into four major roles, namely sheng (male), dani female), jing (painted face), chou (clown). And each role was further divided. With Beijing Opera becoming better and approaching perf ection day by day, there have appeared many outstanding performers regarding each type of role. Yu shuyan, Yan Jupeng, Ma Lianliang, Tan Fuying, Zhou Xinfang, Gao Qingkui, and Li Shaochun are famous laosheng (old men) players ; Yang Xiaolou, Shang Heyu, Gai Jiaotian wusheng (young warriors) players ; Mei Lanfang, Cheng Yanqiu, Shang Xiaoyun, Xun Huisheng, Zhang Junqiu, Yan Huizhu and Guan Sushuang dan (female) players ; Gong Yunpu and Li Duokui laodan (old women) players ; Jin Shaoshan, Hao Shouchen, Hou Xirui, Qiu Shengrong, Fang Rongxiang, and Yuan Shihai jing (painted face) Players Wang Changlin, Xiao Changhua and Ye Shengzhang chou (clown) players. Al of them have a style of their own, playing an important role in the development of Beijing Opera, serving as a link between past and future, and have developed a school of their own. There are many schools of Beijing Opera, with distinctly different styles, each having its own merits.

The Painting of Face
About the Painting of Face, it is said that this special art derived from the Chinese opera has different origins. But no matter what its origin is, the facial painting is worth appreciating for its artistic value. The paintings are presentations of the roles of the characters. For example, a red face usually depicts the role's bravery, uprightness and loyalty ; a white face symbolizes a sinister role's treachery and guile, a green face describes surly stubbornness, impetuosity and lack of self-restraint. In addition, the pattern of the facial painting reveals the role's information too. In a word, the unique makeup in the opera allows the characters on the stage to reveal them voicelessly.