Beijing opera

Beijing opera
Beijing opera is a kind of Chinese opera and has a 200-year-long history. It’s main melodies originated from Xipi and Erhuang in Anhui and Hubei respectively. It is believed that Beijing Opera gradually came into being after 1790 when the famous four Anhui opera troupes came to Beijing. Beijing Opera underwent fast development during the imperial patron eventually becoming more accessible to the common people. Beijing Opera usually show historic subject of political and military struggle. Stories are mostly taken from the historical romance and story-tellers scripts.
Of course, every time we mention the Beijing Opera, the scene of performing will come to our mind. There are four roles in every show. Sheng (a male role, usually a leading one); Dan (female roles); Jing (painted-face roles) and Chou (clown role). It has two main methods of makeup masks and facial painting. The frequent on stage change of masks without audience noticing, is a special technique, known as changing faces. And different colors represent different personal characters. For example, the red represents loyal and brave, such as Guanyu and Jiangwei. The black represents these people who are unyielding, reckless, honest and intrepid, such as impartial Baozheng and reckless Zhangfei ect. The yellow represents malevolence and violence, such as Pangguang and Dianwei. The white represents insidious and deceitful people, such as Caocao, Yansong, Zhaogao, Simayi and so on.
In a word, Beijing Opera is the quintessence of Chinese culture. However, many youth know little about it and think it is boring and old fashion. I fell it is pity. I hope all of us can cultivate an interest and learn more Chinese culture.。