Thinking about Beijing Tours, what are the things you would like to visit? Great Wall, Summer Palace, Forbidden City, Beijing Hutong……Besides these well-known attractions, I would also suggest visitors to have a look at Beijing folk arts-Peking Opera. Get Beijing Flights to Beijing to have a taste.
Peking opera or Beijing opera is a form of traditional Chinese theatre which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in the late 18th century and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century. Peking opera features four main types of performers. Performing troupes often have several of each variety, as well as numerous secondary and tertiary performers. They utilize the skills of speech, song, dance, and combat in movements that are symbolic and suggestive, rather than realistic. Above all else, the skill of performers is evaluated according to the beauty of their movements.
It is really hard to become a Peking opera performer. Prior to the 20th century, pupils were often handpicked at a young age by a teacher and trained for seven years on contract from the child’s parents. After 1911, training took place in more formally organized schools. Students at these schools rose as early as five o’clock in the morning for exercises.
There are basically four types of roles in Peking opera: Sheng, Dan, Jing, Chou. Each role stands for different types of people. It is quite interesting that there are stationary opera types for historical roles. The Sheng is the main male role in Peking opera. This role has numerous subtypes. The laosheng is a dignified older role. These characters have a gentle and cultivated disposition and wear sensible costumes. Besides, there are Hongsheng, Xiaosheng and Hongsheng.
Wusheng
For all the female roles, they are called as Dan. Dan roles were originally divided into five subtypes. Old women were played by laodan, martial women were wudan, young female warriors were daomadan, virtuous and elite women were qingyi, and vivacious and unmarried women were huadan. In the past, females are banned to become Peking opera performers. Hence, all the Dans are actually played by males. Among them, there are four famous male dans: Mei Lanfang, Cheng Yanqiu, Shang Xiaoyun, and Xun Huisheng.
Dan
The Jing is a painted face male role. Depending on the repertoire of the particular troupe, he will play either primary or secondary roles. This type of role will entail a forceful character, so a Jing must have a strong voice and be able to exaggerate gestures.
The Chou is a male clown role. The Chou usually plays secondary roles in a troupe. Indeed, most studies of Peking opera classify the Chou as a minor role. The name of the role is a homophone of the Mandarin Chinese word chou, meaning “ugly”. This reflects the traditional belief that the clown’s combination of ugliness and laughter could drive away evil spirits.
All in all, Peking opera combines speech, song, dance-acting and martial arts together. In Beijing, you can go to Liyuan Opera Theatre at Qianmen Restaurant, No.175, Yongan Road, Hufangqiao. Do not forget to book Beijing Hotels to experience the amazing show.
Related posts:
