If you are traveling in Beijing and haven'tseen Peking Opera, you should make your time for a watch of this Chinesetraditional show.
Peking Opera of China is a nationaltreasure with a history of 200 years. The performers use singing, dialogue,dancing and martial art to tell stories which entertain audiences from emperorsto farmers. Stories are vividly narrated based on classic novels, folk talesand some modern literature works.
Roles, costumes, facial make-ups, skillsand music are the major highlights of Peking opera. There are four main typesof roles- Sheng (male), dan (young female), jing (painted face, male), and chou(clown, male or female). The costumes are as important as the charactersthemselves because each piece tells a story. Mostly made in handicraftembroidery, they are of a high aesthetic value.
The types of facial make-ups in BeijingOpera are rich and various, depicting different characteristics of the rolesuch as temper, personality and age. There are certain formats of the facialpainting in the aspect of color, type and shape. Usually, eyes, foreheads andcheeks are painted like wings of butterfly or swallow. Once used to the colorthemes, one can easily see for example who is honest and cunning.
Liyuan Theatre has traditional BeijingOpera Show every night. Here you will see Peking opera with English subtitles,Chinese acrobatics and some colorful dance performances.
