Beijing Opera is one of the traditional Chinese drama art forms with a history of more than 200 years. It is said that Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty loved the theatre. At the beginning, there was no Beijing Opera. Kunqu Opera was the most popular, but Emperor Qianlong gradually became bored with this style. Various local operas were brought to Beijing to please the emperor. Drawing on the good points of these local operas, the new Beijing Opera came into being and became Qianlong's favorite.
Beijing Opera mixes different art forms, including singing, dancing, acrobatics and Wushu. All these art forms are put into one performance. Facial painting (脸谱) is one of the most important signs of Peking Opera. It shows the roles' personalities. For example, a red face usually shows the role's bravery; a white face shows the treachery and guile; a black face shows the role is a strict man.
Beijing Opera has spread to many other places. Mei Lanfang, a famous performer, was the first to introduce Beijing Opera to foreigners and made highly successful tours to foreign countries.
"You will doubt and sometimes be a little bored, but you will be interested gradually. You will be strongly attracted to Beijing Opera, even if you know nothing about the drama background." This is how one traveler described his first experience in watching Beijing Opera.
Beijing Opera is China's national opera and it is full of Chinese cultural traditions. Welcome to China and enjoy Beijing Opera.
