A Conventional Theatre

Like the Italian Renaissance commedia dell'arte, traditional Chinese Opera is a theatre of conventions known to players and audience. An actor does not just laugh: he laughs in twenty different set was: hilariously, ruefully, happily, etc. There is no scenery, just chairs and tables. Props are props for the audience's imagination. A tasseled whip represents a horse; a lantern, darkness; an oar, a boat. On taking the stage, a character describes who he is. Costumes and makeup define their roles. A yellow robe denotes imperial status; a black-painted face denotes a blunt nature. Red indicates courage, loyalty and virtuousness, and so on.

Types of Chinese Theatre

Regional and other differences in dialect, music, costuming, themes, dancing and acting convections have produced many different styles of opera such as Kunqu, Peking, Cantonese, Sichuan, Pingju, Fujian and other opera styles.

Western-style spoken drama was introduced in China in 1906; Western-style Opera in Chinese, in the 1950s.

Types of Chinese Opera Roles

Chinese Opera has four main types of roles: sheng (male); dan (female); jing(painted-face characters) and chow (clowns). These are subdivided and each role has its set characteristics. Sheng roles, for instance, can be old or young, civilian or military. A hua dan, for example, is vivacious, charming; she wears a fetching jacket and trousers, not a skirt. Her makeup is relatively " natural," stressing her rosy cheeks and upslanted eyebrows.