My name is John, I'm from England.When I was young, I was so interested in Chinese culture like Beijing Opera. I often dreamed to go to China one day. When I was learning theater at university, I was provided with a chance to study abroad. There was a program to study Asian theater arts either in China or in India. I decided to go to China and learn Beijing Opera in a Chinese theater school.The school offered me a place to practice. It was good because I could practice whenever I wanted. Also I had a private lesson—the teacher would give me one-to-one class for three hours. That was the best part of my study in China.
Beijing Opera is also called Peking Opera. It is the highest expression of the Chinese culture. It's full of famous stories, beautiful facial paintings and wonderful fighting. This kind of opera is very popular with Chinese people. There are four main roles in Beijing Opera. A Wusheng is a soldier or fighter. A Xiaosheng is a young man. A Laosheng is an old man. Dan is a woman. Stories in Beijing Opera are very interesting, some of them are from history book, but most of them are from the literature, especially famous novels.The stories usually end with happiness.
I got a lot from my study in China. It has greatly influenced me and helped me develop into a more skillful actor. This Chinese art gives me plenty of tools, so I can use them when I perform other shows in Europe. I have set up an art center to teach Beijing Opera. Now there are more fans of Beijing Opera in my country.
