PEKING OPERA

IN MAPEH (4TH QUARTER

PEKING OPERA
• Peking Opera, also known as Beijing Opera, is a traditional form of Chinese theater
renowned for its combination of music, vocal performance, mime, dance, and acrobatics.
It was highly popular in China and regarded as a cultural treasure. Performers display
their skills in speech, song, dance-acting, and combat, employing acrobatics and various
weapons. The emphasis lies on symbolism and suggestion rather than realism, with
performers seamlessly integrating these skills into a single performance. The ultimate
goal is to infuse beauty into every motion, achieved through the extensive use of
roundness and the avoidance of sharp angles and straight lines. This aesthetic approach
extends to all aspects of the opera, creating a cohesive and visually pleasing experience.
PEKING OPERA
PEKING OPERA FEATURES THREE MAJOR TYPES OF SPEECH(NIANBAI)
WHICH INCLUDE THE FF:

1. Monologues and dialogues, consisting of prose speeches which are

meant to advance the plot of the play or inject humor into a scene.

2. Quotations are drawn from classical Chinese poetry.

3. Conventionalized stage speeches (chengshi nianbai). These are rigid

formulations that mark important transition points like the entrance
speech (hangchang) or “self-introduction speech (zi bao jiamen) which
includes a prelude poem, a set-the-scene poem, and a prose set-the-scene
speech; and the exit speech in the form of a poem followed by a single
spoken line usually delivered by a supporting character, and describes
his or her present situation and state of mind
CLASSIFICATION OF PERFORMERS AND ROLES
1. Sheng- It is the main male role in Peking opera. This role has
numerous subtypes. The laosheng is a dignified older role. These
characters have a gentle and cultivated disposition and wear
sensible costumes. Young male characters are known as xiaosheng.
Dan – It refers to any female role in Peking opera. Dan roles
were originally classified into five subtypes. Old women
roles are played by laodan, martial women are wudan, young
female warriors are daomadan, virtuous and elite women are
qingyi, and vivacious and unmarried women are huadan.
3. Jing- It is a painted face male role that is dependent on the
repertoire of the particular troupe. He can play either primary or
secondary roles or roles characterized by a forceful character, so a
Jing must have a strong voice and be able to exaggerate gestures.

Three main types of Jing roles include roles that heavily involve
singing
(tongchui), roles with less emphasis on singing and more on physical
performance (jiazi), and martial and acrobatic roles (wujing).
4.Chou-It is a male clown role that usually plays a secondary role
in a troupe. Chou roles can be classified into civilian roles such
as merchan and jailers (wen chou), and minor military roles (wu
chou).
- STAGING AND COSTUME -
Traditional Peking opera stages are square
platforms so that the action on stage is visible from
at least three sides. It is divided into two parts by an
embroidered curtain (shoujiu). The stage will almost
always have a table and at least one chair, which can
be transformed into such diverse objects like a wall,
a mountain, or a bed. Peripheral objects will often
be used to signify the presence of a larger, main
object.
Due to the scarcity of props in Peking opera, costumes (xingtou or xifu) take on added importance. Costumes function
first to distinguish the rank of the character being played. Emperors and their families wear yellow robes, and high-
ranking officials wear purple. Persons of high rank or virtue wear red, lower-ranking officials wear blue young
characters wear white, the old wear white, brown, or olive, and all other men wear black.
Hats are intended to blend in with the rest of
the costume and are usually embroidered.
Shoes may be high or low soled, the former
being worn by characters of high rank, and
the latter by characters of low rank or
acrobatic characters.

Costumes include the following:

1.Toukui, or opera headdress: crown,
helmet, hat, and scarf. 2.Costume (about
20 kinds); the ceremonial robe, or
Mang, the informal robe, or Pei; and the
armor, or Kao, for soldiers.
3. Opera shoes and boots, or Xue in
Chinese.
FACE CHANGING
Peking opera performers mainly have two types of
facial decorations: masks and facial painting. The
frequent onstage changing of masks or facial makeup
(without the audience noticing) is a special technique
known as changing faces. Face paintings are
representations of the characters' roles. For example, a
red face usually depicts heroic bravery, uprightness,
and loyalty; a white face symbolizes a sinister,
treacherous, and guile character and a green face
connotes surly stubbornness, impetuosity, and lack of
self-restraint.Face changing is also used as a technique
to exaggerate the inner feelings of the characters,
portray their dispositions, set off the atmosphere, and
improve effects.
MEANS OF CHANGING FACES
1. Blowing dust: The actor blows black dust hidden in his palm or close to his eyes, nose, or beard, so
that it blows back into his face.

2. Manipulating beard: Beard colors can be changed while the beard is being manipulated-from black
to gray and finally to white-expressing anger or excitement.

3. Pulling-down masks: The actor can pull down a mask that has previously been hidden on top of his
head, leaving his face red, green, blue, or black to communicate happiness, hate, anger, or sadness
respectively.

4. Mop: The actor mops out the greasepaint hidden in his sideburns or eyebrows,
around his eyes and nose, to change his facial appearance.