With a complete system of stage performance and a long history, Beijing Opera, or Peking Opera, as one of Chinese major traditional opera forms ,is regarded as ‘the national opera of China’ and well received all over the world.
Arose in the late 18th century, Beijing Opera has a history of more than 200 years in which its fountainhead can be dated back to some old local operas, especially the Anhui Opera.After absorbing various elements of its forerunners and adapting itself in language and style of singing to Beijing audiences.,it became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century.Through a period of more than half a century of combination and integration of various kinds of opera, there evolved the present Peking opera, the biggest kind of opera in China, whose popularity spread all over the country, becoming the most popular and influencing dramatic form on Chinese stage.
Because of incorporating the merits of many local dramas, Beijing Opera is a comprehensive acting art，which blends singing, reading, acting, fighting, and dancing together by using acting methods to narrate stories and depict different characters of gladness, sorrow, anger, happiness, fear and sadness. There are four basic methods employed in a Beijing Opera performance: chang, nian, zuo, da. Generally speaking, chang means singing,and nian recitation, while zuo refers to the facial and body posturing and acting and da is Chinese martial arts. Meanwhile, Beijing Opera features four main types of performers namely Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou. Sheng and Dan refer to the main male and all female roles respectively.The painted face, in Chinese called ‘jing’, is a name for the male role that has some special characteristic or appearance .Chou is easily understood from the role’s name as a clown with an ugly appearance,whose function in a performance is to provide light relief and comedy.
The opera’s performance requires not only the mellow voice but also the martial actions proficiency. Successful opera actors and actresses must suffer from the tough practicing period.Through years’ accumulation of performing technique,they has successfully combine performing patterns with the unique personalities of their roles.
In recent years,Beijing Opera has attempted numerous reforms, including improving the performance quality,adaping new performance elements,in response to sagging audience numbers.Through expand the content of opera,it can be presented for audience with moving artistic images and it’s really an enjoyment for both visual and acoustical feeling
Widely spreading throughout China with extensive influence, Beijing Opera contain the soul of Chinese national culture.Its unique and attracting charm inspires ethos of Chinese people.There is no doubt that it is literally the treasure of Chinese culture!
