Chinese Opera is a popular form of musical theatre and Drama in China. The roots go back as far as the third century. There are many regional branches of Chinese opera, one of which is the Beijing Opera also called Jingju is one of the most notable to date. Chinese opera has many forms all in one. Form and Technique including martial arts, the stage set up which is precise and the usual in a Chinese Theatre and last but not least make up and costumes. In facial makeup of Chinese opera there are various designs of lines and colored patches painted on the faces of certain operatic characters. The patterns are fixed and traditional. Certain patterns represent different highlights different qualities so that the audience immediately knows whether the character is a hero, a villain, a warrior, or a clown. The colors represent whether they are kind or vicious or strong. Each color and stroke means some thing and there are thousands of different meanings! For instance The red or purple face shows just and noble character. The black face indicates either a rough and bold character, or a selfless personality. A green face is stubbornness, and a total lack of self-restraint. The most commonly seen on the stage is the white face for the powerful villain. All of the facial makeups belong to a category of characters collectively called Jing. For the clowns of traditional drama, there is a special makeup called Xiaohualian (meaning petty painted face) it is a small patch of chalk on and around the nose to show a mean and secretive character. The facial makeup's date back to the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties. Simple patterns of painted faces are found in tomb murals during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Aside from the makeup many of the costumes go along with the intricate forms of the makeup. The costumes are very elaborate and colorful as well, sometimes heavy, because of it. Though Chinese Opera and makeup is not clearly understood by the common eye most of which are in the western hemisphere, it is a beautiful creation of art and theatre.
Masks
Costumes
Videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcUhIQqNXoo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyibSUB_MBw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NM9JZkeJOc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9dQX5fZeeo
Cited Sites.
“Chinese Traditional Arts Opera”, Chinese Manchester Archive “no date” Web. February 23, 2010.
.
“Facial Makeup’s in Opera”, China Virtual Tours. “1996-2009”Web. February23,2010. .
