Beijing Opera, once called Ping Opera, is one of the five major forms of Chinese opera and the foremost of the “Three Pinnacles” of Chinese theater. As a quintessential representation of traditional Chinese culture and aesthetics, Beijing Opera has become the most influential Chinese opera, earning the titles of “National Opera” and “National Treasure.” Centered in Beijing, its influence spreads throughout China.
In the 55th year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign in the Qing Dynasty (1790), four major opera troupes from the south—Sanqing, Sixi, Chuntai, and Hechun—gradually entered Beijing. They collaborated with Han opera performers from Hubei, while also incorporating elements from other opera like Kunqu, Qinqiang, Yiyang, Gaobazi, Chuiqiang, and Bangzi. Through continuous exchange and by absorbing the essence of these different forms, a new style of opera emerged during the Daoguang era (1821-1850), distinguished by its unique vocal styles, performance techniques, stage language, and repertoire—this was the birth of Beijing Opera. After its formation, Beijing Opera rapidly developed within the Qing imperial court and flourished during the Republic of China era. Over a century later, Beijing Opera continues to thrive with vibrant artistic vitality.
From 1919 to 1935, Mei Lanfang’ s (1894-1961) overseas performances played a crucial role in dispelling Western prejudices against Chinese theater and even Chinese people, promoting the spread of Beijing Opera abroad and enhancing cultural exchange between East and West. The brilliance of Beijing Opera shone on the world stage, marking it as a unique gem of Eastern art.
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing Opera became a cultural ambassador for. China sent Beijing Opera troupes to perform around the world. Mei Lanfang, in particular, visited the Soviet Union in 1952, 1957, and 1960, and made his third visit to Japan in 1956, earning great honor for Chinese traditional culture. His superb performances not only garnered worldwide recognition for Beijing Opera as China’s “national treasure” but also profoundly influenced theater and film in Japan and the West. Theater masters like Stanislavski and Brecht drew inspiration from Mei Lanfang’s artistry in their work.
Today, Beijing Opera has become the essential medium to introduce and spread Chinese traditional art and culture worldwide. On November 16, 2010, Beijing Opera was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The stage art of Beijing Opera encompasses various aspects including literature, performance, music, vocal styles, percussion, makeup, and facial painting. Through the long-term practice of countless artists, it has developed into a highly structured and standardized system where each element complements the others. These artistic conventions are rich in content and must be mastered to achieve the creation of Beijing Opera’s stage art. Since its inception, Beijing Opera has been associated with the royal court, leading to its unique development compared to local opera forms. It has a broader range of themes and characters, demands greater comprehensiveness and completeness in its artistry, and has higher aesthetic standards for creating stage images. However, this has also somewhat diminished its rustic, folk qualities.
Beijing Opera’s performance art combines both realistic and stylized methods, breaking free from the limitations of stage space and time through the use of abstraction and symbolism to achieve an artistic state where form and spirit are both conveyed. The performances are refined and detailed, with singing that is melodious and emotionally expressive, and martial scenes that excel not through sheer force but through the elegance of “civil singing in martial scenes.”
Beijing Opera categorizes its characters into distinct types known as sheng (male roles), dan (female roles), jing (painted face roles), mo (middle-aged male roles), and chou (clown roles). The classification of these roles is based not only on the character’s natural attributes (such as gender and age) and social status (such as occupation and rank) but also on their personality traits. On the Beijing Opera stage, characters are portrayed not as they would appear in real life but through artistic exaggeration in makeup, costumes, and performance, based on the character’s gender, temperament, age, occupation, and social standing. This artistic approach divides the characters into the four main categories of sheng, dan, jing, and chou.
The four basic skills of Beijing Opera performance—singing (chang), recitation (nian), acting (zuo), and acrobatics (da)—form the foundation of its artistry.
Actors are trained from a young age in all four skills, although some may specialize in certain areas, such as singing for laosheng roles or acting for huadan roles. However, all actors must have a solid foundation in all four skills to fully express the artistic characteristics of Beijing Opera and portray the diverse characters effectively.
Beijing Opera is a highly integrated art form that includes singing, dancing, dialogue, martial arts, and symbolic movements. Its traditional repertoire includes over a thousand plays, with three to four hundred regularly performed. Beijing Opera can be staged in various forms, including full-length plays, multi-act plays, and selected scenes. Today, new adaptations of historic Beijing Opera, modern Beijing Opera, and small-theater Beijing Opera also add to its diverse range of performances.