There are four roles in Peking Opera: sheng (a male role, usually a leading one), dan (female roles), jing (painted-face roles) and chou (clown roles). Beijing Opera makeup brushes for applying face paintīeijing Opera singer back stage Beijing Opera Roles Peking Opera underwent rapid development during the reign of Emperor Qianlong and the notorious Empress Dowager Cixi, gradually becoming popular with and accessible to the Chinese masses. Its main melodies originate from the towns of Xipi and Erhuang in Anhui and Hubei province, and it is widely believed that the art form came into being after 1790, when four famous Anhui opera troupes visited Beijing. Peking Opera has a 200 year old history, really blossoming in the mid-nineteenth century. Chang'an Grand Theatre, Beijing Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business Beijing Opera performers on stage In 2010 Peking Opera was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Peking Opera is more than just music and singing it combines drama, dancing, martial arts and acrobatics, making it one of the most multi-faceted theatrical art forms in the world. It is an iconic art from that most people know by name, but have never seen. Watching an authentic Peking Opera is an opportunity few people get to enjoy. In recent years, painted faces have developed into an independent art in China.Chinese Culture: Beijing Opera in the 21st Centuryīrave New Face: The evolving world of Peking Opera Painted faces not only are used in facial make-up on the stage, but also have become a popular theme in Chinese folk art.Paper-painted faces made by artists sometimes look even more beautiful than those used on stage. For example, there are more than 100 face painting styles designed for Xiang Yu, the ruler of the Western Han Dynasty, and each one is very different. This pattern represents his weapon, the huo hu lu.Īlthough painted faces are extremely stylized in their colors and patterns, no two painted faces are alike. His face is painted red with an inverted gourd on his forehead. Take Meng Liang - the famous warrior of the Song Dynasty - for example. Each pattern is rooted in his ability to make subtle and interesting changes within the human face, and each pattern has its own symbolic meaning. The jingrole in Peking Opera has many forms of facial make-up, including the "whole-face", "three-tile face", "quartered face", "six-division face", "tiny-flowered face" and "lopsided face". Different colors can also distinguish nobility from the common folk, goodness from evil or loyalty from treachery. Later, other colors were gradually incorporated, such as purple - the symbol of solemnity, serenity and a sense of justice yellow, representing intelligence and calculation or bravery when used in warrior roles blue shows uprightness and stubbornness green indicates bravery and irascibility and gold and silver are sometimes used on the faces of immortals, demons and monsters. Red is the color of loyalty, integrity and courage black suggests a serious and taciturn disposition, including strength and roughness white reveals a crafty and suspicious character. Originally, only three colors were used - red, white and black - each with its own symbolic meaning. In Peking Opera, lianpucolors are of great importance in revealing the age, profession and personality of a character.