Drawing
extensively from different Chinese artistic traditions,
Peking Opera is an ingenious and colorful combination of elements
from many sources: traditional music, poetry, song, recitation,
dancing, acrobatics, and martial arts.
Artistically, Peking Opera is perhaps the most refined form of
opera in the world. It has deeply influenced the Chinese people.
Although it is called Peking Opera, its origins are not in Beijing
but in the provinces of Anhui and Hubei. The two main melodies of
Peking Opera, Xi-Pi and Er-Huang, are derived from the operatic
styles of Anhui and Hubei. It then adapted music and arias from
other operas and musical arts in China.
It is widely accepted that Peking Opera was born when the Four
Great Anhui Troupes came to Beijing in 1790. In China, there are
as many schools of opera as there are dialects. It has been
estimated that there are thousands branches of Chinese opera. Most
of them are local, dominating a region within a province and its
surrounding area. However, Peking Opera is the national standard,
and has a higher reputation than any of the other branches of
Chinese Opera. Almost every province of China has more than one
Peking Opera troupe. Beijing and Tianjin are respected as the key
base cities in the north while Shanghai is the base in the south.
The use of all forms of artistic expression in Peking Opera is for
the purpose of highlighting the story and depicting the character
in the play. Many Peking Opera roles require painted faces. The
different colors of the faces represent different characters and
personalities. Yellow and white
represent cunning, red stands for uprightness and loyalty, black
means valor and wisdom, blue and green indicate the vigorous and
enterprising character of rebellious heroes and gold and silver
represent mystic or super-natural power.
In traditional Chinese theater, the stage was extended to face the
audience in three directions. This made it possible for its gross
exaggeration and unique symbolism. While the stage is bare of
scenery, bodily movements of the performers or the holding of a
prop creates the backdrop of the play. For instance, holding a
horsewhip represents riding a horse and carrying an oar connotes
taking a boat.
Regular Peking Opera performances at:
Liyuan Theater
Location: Qianmen Hotel, No. 175 Yong’anlu
Tel: 86-10-63016688-8860
Chang’an Grand Theater
Location: No. 7 Jianguomennei Dajie, Chaoyang District.
Tel: 86-10-65101309, 65101310
Beijing Hu Guang Guild Hall
Location: No. 3 Hufangqiao, Xuanwu District.
Tel: 86-10-63518284, 63529134
Zheng Yi Ci Traditional Peking Opera Theater
Location: No. 22 Xiheyan Dajie, south of Hepingmen Intersection
Tel: 86-10-63189454, 63159105
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