Peking opera

Peking opera, or Beijing opera (京剧 in simplified Chinese, 京劇 in traditional, and Jīngjù in pinyin), is the leading style of Chinese opera. It brings together instrumental music, singing, mime, martial arts, dance, and acrobatics. This art form started in Beijing during the middle of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and was fully developed and acknowledged by the middle of the 1800s. It enjoyed great favor in the Qing imperial court and is now considered one of China's cultural treasures. Major performance companies are based in Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai. The art is also kept alive in Taiwan, where it is called Guójù (國劇), meaning "national opera." It has reached other places, including the United States and Japan.

Peking opera has four main role types: shēng (生, "gentlemen"), dàn (旦, "women"), jìng (淨/净, "rough men"), and chǒu (丑, "clowns"). Troupes usually have several performers for each type, plus many secondary and tertiary players. The stage is typically sparse, so performers in their elaborate, colorful costumes become the only focus. Their skills include speech, song, dance, and combat, all expressed through movements that are symbolic and suggestive rather than realistic. The beauty of these movements is the primary measure of a performer's skill. Performers also follow various stylistic conventions that help the audience follow the plot. Every movement's layers of meaning must be timed with the music. The music of Peking opera falls into two styles: xīpí (西皮) and èrhuáng (二黃/二黄). Melodies include arias, fixed-tune melodies, and percussion patterns. The repertoire contains over 1,400 works, drawing from Chinese history, folklore, and increasingly, contemporary life.

During the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), traditional Peking opera was denounced as "feudalistic" and "bourgeois" and was largely replaced by revolutionary operas until that period ended. After the Cultural Revolution, these changes were mostly reversed. In recent years, facing declining audiences, Peking opera has tried reforms such as improving performance quality, adding new performance elements, shortening works, and creating new and original plays.

**Etymology**

"Peking opera" is the English name for this art form; it entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 1953. "Beijing opera" is a newer equivalent. In China, the art has had many names over time and in different places. The earliest Chinese name, Píhuáng (皮黄), combined the xipi and erhuang melodies. As its popularity grew, it became known as Jingju or Jingxi, reflecting its origin in the capital city (京, Jīng). From 1927 to 1949, when Beijing was called Beiping (北平, Běipíng), it was known as Pingxi or Pingju. Finally, when the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, the capital's name reverted to Beijing, and the formal name in mainland China became Jingju. The Taiwanese name, Guoju, or "national opera," reflects disputes over the true seat of the Chinese government.

**History**

**Origins**

Peking opera began when the Four Great Anhui Troupes brought Hui opera (now called Huiju) to Beijing in 1790 for the Qianlong Emperor's eightieth birthday on 25 September. It was first performed for the court and only later opened to the public. In 1828, several famous Hubei troupes arrived in Beijing and performed together with the Anhui troupes. This collaboration gradually shaped Peking opera's melodies. The form is generally considered fully developed by 1845. Despite its name, its origins lie in the broader area around the capital of Anhui province (the city of Anqing), including southern Anhui and eastern Hubei, which share the similar Xiajiang Mandarin (Lower Yangtze Mandarin) dialect. The two main melodies are Xipi and Erhuang. Xipi literally means "skin puppet show," referring to a puppet show from Shaanxi province. Chinese puppet shows always include singing. Much dialogue is also delivered in an archaic form of Mandarin Chinese, closest to the Zhongyuan Mandarin dialects of Henan and Shaanxi, as recorded in the book *Zhongyuan Yinyun*. It also absorbed music from other operas and local Zhili musical forms. Some scholars believe Xipi came from the historic Qinqiang, while many staging conventions, performance elements, and aesthetic principles were kept from Kunqu, the form that preceded it as court art.

So Peking opera is not a single, uniform form but a blend of many older ones. Yet it also created its own innovations. The vocal demands for all major roles were greatly reduced. The Chou, in particular, rarely sings in Peking opera, unlike its equivalent in Kunqu. The melodies for each play were also simplified and played with different traditional instruments than earlier forms. Most notably, true acrobatic elements were introduced. The form grew in popularity throughout the 1800s. The Anhui troupes reached their peak in the middle of the century and were invited to perform at the court of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom during the Taiping Rebellion. Starting in 1884, Empress Dowager Cixi became a regular patron, cementing Peking opera's status over earlier forms like Kunqu. Its popularity is often attributed to its simplicity, with only a few voices and singing patterns, allowing anyone to sing the arias themselves.