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CULTURE FOCUS ON CHINA / 04 / 2011 FOCUS ON CHINA / 04 / 2011 CULTURE 53
BEIJING OPERA
Beijing opera or Peking opera is a form of traditional Chinese theatre which combines music,
vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in the late 18th century and became fully
developed and recognized by the mid-19th century.
Cultural Exchange
In recent years, China has actively
conducted cultural exchanges with
other countries. On Oct. 7, 2010,
Italy and China inaugurated one
year full of celebrations featuring
hundreds of artistic events aimed
at further spreading knowledge of
the Chinese culture in Italy. Highstandard
comprehensive exchange
activities demonstrate the favorable,
vigorous image of China in the
ongoing reform and opening-up,
and promote the exchange and
mutual understanding with related
countries.
Dan
The Dan refers to any female role. Dan roles were
originally divided into five subtypes. Old women
were played by Laodan, martial women were
Wudan, young female warriors were Daomadan,
virtuous and elite women were Qingyi, and
vivacious and unmarried women were Huadan.
In the early years of Beijing opera, all Dan roles
were played by men.
Sheng
Beijing opera features four
main types of performers.
The Sheng is the main male role in Beijing opera. This role has numerous subtypes. The Laosheng
is a dignified older role. Young male characters are known as Xiaosheng. The Wusheng is a martial
character for roles involving combat. They are highly trained in acrobatics, and have a natural voice
when singing.
Jing
The Jing is a painted face male role. Depending
on the repertoire of the particular troupe, he will
play either primary or secondary roles. Beijing
opera boasts 15 basic facial patterns, but there
are over 1000 specific variations. Each design is
unique to a specific character.
Chou
The Chou is a male clown role. The Chou usually
plays secondary roles in a troupe. The name
of the role is a homophone of the Mandarin
Chinese word chou, meaning "ugly". This
reflects the traditional belief that the clown's
combination of ugliness and laughter could
drive away evil spirits.