Colourful Beijing opera

中国文化国粹：京剧

         在人的脸上涂上某种颜色以象征这个人的性格和品质、角色和命运，是京剧的一大特点，也是理解剧情的关键。简单地讲，红脸含有褒义，代表忠勇者；黑脸为中性，代表猛智者；蓝脸和绿脸也为中性，代表草莽英雄；黄脸和白脸含贬义，代表凶诈者；金脸和银脸是神秘，代表神妖。

         When you walk into the special theater for Beijing Opera in Beijing, on the first eye you will see the broidery, bright , colorful curtain opened slowly, then an actor appears in the sound of the drums and gongs. In a while, a handsome and young soldier wears a suit of clothing somersaults and play the wushu, sometime is thfe person wears a head of decoration, sometimes the ancient lady in silk robes dancing, sometimes the king of the monkeys in Xi You Ji appeared, jumping up and down......This is the happy scene of Chinese traditional opera .

         The draft of the Beijing Opera is combined with tragedy and comedy, mixed with the sang and dance which tell the history and legend.

         The other subject is close to the daily life which is to reflect the reality and society greatly and have the high meaning of education and entertainment. 

         The wearing of the actors on the scene is called XingTou, mainly based on the clothing of Ming 400 hundred years ago.

         The Beijing Opera is played on the stage with three sides of walls outside, the scene background is very simple. A same table can mean the desk, bridge, hill and so on. The transform of the spaces is smooth and economic. So the actors developed a set of performed ways which is high identity and symbols. No matter the beard of the men or the water sleeves for dancing and the fan or other tools , they are the extension of the body and have the complex skills and meanings. The actors must be trained from the childhood, so to operate the songs and reading , eyes, digesters, steps and the waist and legs freely to express the feelings and thought of the roles. 

         At present, the Beijing Opera has entered into the modern stage of frames, it is under the traditional conditions, adding the design of the light , director, stages and so on which makes the effect more completed and richer.