1) Beijing Opera combines music, singing, mime, dance, and acrobatics and originated in late 18th century Beijing. 2) It features four main types of performers: sheng, dan, jing, and chou who portray different character roles. 3) Dans, who portray female roles, originally had five subtypes and focused on expressive eyes and slow, mimetic movements to portray traditional Chinese women realistically.

1. e ijing O p e ra
P e king O p e r
Ms . Z ha
ng

2. B e ijing
O p e ra or
Beijing opera
Peking opera
combines music, vocal
performance, mime,
dance and acrobatics.
It arose in the late 18th Do you think the original
Chinese opera is Beijing
century and became
Opera? Did Beijing Opera
fully developed and originate in Beijing?
recognized by the
mid-19th century. Beijing opera is not a monolithic
form, but rather a coalescence
of many older forms.

3. 旦 丑
dan chou
Beijing Opera has four different types of performers
生 净
sheng jing

4. 老生
Lao Sheng
th e p art o f an o ld
g e n tle m an
in B e ij g o p e ras
in

5. 小生
Xiao Sheng
Th e p art o f yo u n g
g e n e ratio n in
B e ij g O p e ra
in

6. 旦 Dan
th e
fe m ale
c h arac
te r
typ e

7. 旦
Dan’s roles were originally divided into five subtypes.
d an
Old women were played by laodan, martial women were
wudan, young female warriors were daomadan, virtuous
and elite women were qingyi, and vivacious and unmarried
women were huadan.
Dans should focus on the expression of eyes as well as the
slow movement, the mime. Through the expression and movement, a real
traditional Chinese woman would appear on the stage.

9. Do Le t’s s in g to g e th
Re
Mi
Fa
So
La
Ti
Do

10. 净 Jing
th e “p ain te d
a c h arac te r ty

11. 丑 Chou
A c lo wn in B e ij g o p e ra
in