CHINESE PEKING OPERA CHARACTERS PATCH

The male clowns are always characterized by a patch of white makeup around their noses and eyes. This is the character reserved for army generals, warriors, officials or bandits, featuring elaborate facial makeups.Ĭhou refers to clown roles. Jing refers to painted face roles, also known as hualian. They include laodan or old woman role huadan, a role for spirited maiden or young woman wudan or female acrobat qingyi for young or middle-aged noblewoman and daomadan for military heroine. Sheng refers to male roles, including laosheng, a middle-aged or old man xiaosheng, a young man and wusheng, an acrobat who performs the most exciting stunning movements in the opera.ĭan refers to female roles. Like in many other Chinese operas, there are four character types in Peking Opera, namely, sheng, dan, jing and chou. They include crowns for emperors or nobles black gauze hats for officials helmets for generals and military officers and scarves for various other characters.Ī general in the opera often wears a headpiece decorated with pheasant plumes, which could be 2 meters long. There are also nearly 100 types of headgear. Other characters wear a type of gown called zhezi, which could be subdivided into a dozen or so types for male or female characters and for civil and military personnel.Īll these robes and gowns have long, cascading sleeves, called shuixiu, or “water sleeves.” Though having little practical use, the water sleeves can help accentuate characters’ movement and demonstrate their emotions.

There are at least 20 major types of costumes in Peking Opera, including mangpao or python robe, which features brilliant colors and elaborate embroidery and is designed for characters like emperors, nobles or high-ranking officials. While stage settings and props are kept to a minimum, the opera performers usually wear lavish and flamboyant costumes. However, the noisy environment and audiences’ brusque cheers would not affect or interrupt the performance on the stage as Peking Opera is known for its deafening music and piercing-pitch singing style. In such playhouses, spectators watched the performance while drinking tea, eating snacks and chatting loudly.Īnd they would also shout bravos from time to time for brilliant arias and dazzling acrobatic stunts. Later, playhouses were built in the capital and other cities for performing Peking Opera, but they also served as teahouses. Soon, it became very popular not only in the Qing imperial court, but also among common people across the country.Įver since it has been revered as the opera of China and an icon of traditional Chinese culture.Īt first, Peking Opera was performed on outdoor stages including the grandiose stages built in the Forbidden City in Beijing. Under the influence of Emperor Qianlong and later encouraged by Empress Dowager Cixi, Peking Opera underwent a number of changes, introducing features from other operas and creating many unique characteristics in singing, gesturing, martial arts, costumes and facial makeups. The Anhui-style opera also became known as Jingxi, or “Capital Opera,” but it’s called Peking Opera in English. Later, the Anhui-style opera became so popular that it began to replace Kunqu Opera as the preeminent opera form in the capital. So, they were asked to stay and perform in Beijing for some more time. Thanks to their fresh styles in singing, acting and music, the performances of the “Great Four Anhui Troupes” instantly captivated audiences in the capital, including Emperor Qianlong. Originating in east China, their performance had incorporated features, singing and performing techniques, melodies and even plays from several other forms of opera, such as Han Opera in central China’s Hubei Province, Qinqiang from Shaanxi Province in the northwest and also Kunqu Opera, which was one of the oldest theatrical forms in the world and had then been in ascendency in the country for more than 200 years. In ancient times, Chinese people used to mark their birthdays according to their nominal ages, so did Emperor Qianlong.Īmong those who came to Beijing were the “Great Four Anhui Troupes.” IN September 1790, local opera troupes from all over China were invited to come and perform in Beijing, the capital of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), to celebrate the 80th birthday of Emperor Qianlong (1711-99).

Chinese peking opera characters