Where to see it: Beijing has several theaters and teahouses that show primarily Peking Opera performances. Even the musicians are nearly hidden away, grouped together in an area at the edge of the stage. Set design is minimalistic and props are often not used the focus is instead on the skill of the actors, as well as their painted faces and beautiful costumes. The women wear colourful dresses, which often feature long scarves known as 'water sleeves', inspired by flowing ribbons of ink. Characters don’t wear masks instead they paint the symbolic colours directly onto their skin. Shows are either full-length or highlights, the latter typically consisting of 4 different plays, each around 10 minutes in length. This creates sometimes very intense facial expressions, which are interesting to watch.
There are four different shapes into which singers form their mouth, one for each of four vowel types.
The style of singing in the Beijing Opera is similar to other forms of Chinese Opera, though slightly more technical than most, and special techniques are used for breathing and vowel formation. It was officially inscribed in the UNESCO Heritage List in 2010 and is perhaps the most serious form of Opera in China, requiring at least 5 years of intense training in one of several schools across the country. This regional branch dates back to the 18th century and is also known as Jīngjù, or the Beijing Opera. Live musicians play traditional instruments such as the yueqin (a large, round mandolin), as well as lutes, fiddles, cymbals, horns and chimes.Īctors usually cover their faces with face paint or masks, their colours exhibiting a special symbolic meaning. The dominant colour is the biggest clue to the type of character he is: Facial hair is also revealing – a character with a black beard is generally around 30-40 years old and a grey one means he is around 50-60 white indicates he is much older.
Thankfully, this has largely been recovered since the end of the Revolution and Chinese Operas are again widely enjoyed throughout the country.Ĭharacteristics are mostly visible through costume and makeup or masks. During those ten years, most professional performers were either killed or publically shamed, and much of the skill and joy of opera in China was lost. Though this art form has been an important part of China's cultural identity for centuries, it was almost destroyed completely during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960's and 70's, when only four "model" operas were allowed to be performed in the country. The most popular of these styles include the Peking Opera, Sichuan Opera, Huangmei Opera and Cantonese Opera. There are over 300 different forms of Chinese Opera, each originating from a different part of the country.
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