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| Mu Gui Ying |
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Chinese Beijing opera is called "Eastern opera", which is a principle tradition in Chinese culture. It is so-called Beijing opera because it is formed in Beijing.
Beijing opera has a rich list of plays, artists, troupes, audiences and wide influences, which stands first place in China.
Beijing opera is a comprehensive acting art. It blends singing, reading, acting, fighting, and dancing together by using acting methods to narrate stories and depict characters. The roles in Beijing opera include the male, female, painted-face, and comedic role. Besides, there are other supportive roles as well.
Types of facial make-up are the most particular art in Beijing opera, because they can symbolize the personalities, characteristics, and the fates of the roles. For instance: red depicts faithful and gallant; purple symbolizes wise and brave; black shows honest and upright; white implies ferocious and crafty; blue hints strong and intrepid; yellow expresses treacherous; gold and silver are usually used in monsters or gods to symbolize mystery.
Widely acknowledged, the end of 18th century was the most flourishing period in the development of Beijing opera. During this time, there were lots of performances not only in folk places, but also in the palace. The noblemen loved Beijing opera; the superior objects in the palace played a positive role in the performances, make-up, and stage setting. The mutual influence between palace and non-government places promoted Beijing opera's development.
From the 20's to 40's of last century was the second flourishing period of Beijing opera. The symbol of this period was the emergence of lots of sects of Beijing opera. The most famous four were "Mei" (Mei Lanfang 1894-1961), "Shang" (Shang Xiaoyun 1900-1976), "Cheng" (Cheng Yanqiu 1904-1958), and "Xun" (Xun Huisheng 1900-1968). Every sect had its groups of actors and actresses. Furthermore, they were extremely active on the stage in Beijing, Shanghai etc. The art of Beijing opera was very popular at that time.