A bluffer's guide to Peking opera
01-10 15:14 Caijing
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Remember that creepy clown from your childhood? in Peking opera, the word for the clown role, known as chou, is derived from a homophone of ‘ugly’ as ugliness and laughter were believed to drive away wicked spirits.
The clown is just one of the four main roles of Peking opera, all with subdivisions. Sheng (male), Dan (female), Jing (painted faces) and chou (clown) make up the four. the male, Sheng, focuses on tongchui (singing), jiazi (a more physical role) or wujing (martial arts and acrobatics).
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Think of Peking opera and the painted face – the Jing character – is what immediately springs to mind. Jing is usually painted in one of 15 styles, although there are up to 1,000 variations. Each represents a different character and is colour-coded. For example, black symbolises integrity, white treachery, and so on.
Jinghu is the main instrument used to accompany the singers. the fiddle, traditionally made from bamboo with silk strings, is thought to have been invented during the Qin Dynasty. it delivers a high, forceful pitch – ideal to cut through the racket when Peking opera was first performed on the streets.
Anyone worth their opera salt must be aware of Mei Lanfang, jingju’s most renowned star. Born in 1894 to a family of opera performers, Mei was beloved for the beauty he gave to his female roles (traditionally, women were banned from performing). The singer pioneered a new role, huashan, combining the Qingyi character, a virtuous upper-class woman, and the unmarried vixen huadan. Mei’s falsetto voice and femininity became known as ‘the Mei style’ and he achieved global fame, bringing jingju acclaim through cultural exchanges with Japan, America and the Soviet Union. today, Beijing’s Mei Lanfang Grand Theatre is a fitting tribute.
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