The Opera of Beijing

Dating back to more than four decades, the Opera of Beijing has played an important role in the development of the cultural life of China. With its rich makeup, distinctive costumes, and many marvelous stories, it has entertained thousands of people, from royal family members to common people. The Beijing Opera is a wonderful experience for any traveler who tours China.

Most of the opera shows performed in the Opera of Beijing nowadays belongs to the Jing Ju style which prevailed during the Qing Dynasty. However, there are more than 300 styles and types of Chinese opera with their distinctive characters, music, and concepts. Several tourists who travel to China would attend one of the performances of the Opera House of Beijing.

The most interesting characteristics of the Opera of Beijing include the acrobatic movements, wonderful synchronized movements, dances with swords and various weapons, and many other astonishing factors. These performances grab the attention of many tourists who spend their vacations in China.

The musical instruments commonly found in the Opera of Beijing include the famous percussions; named Wuchang which consists of drums, cymbals, and gongs. These instruments usually escort the intensive movements of the actors and performers that usually astonish travelers who spend their vacations in China.

The origins of the modern Opera of Beijing goes back to the 19 th century. Can you imagine that all this magnificent art was created out of a marriage ceremony? Yes, it was the marriage of a member of the royal family that belonged to the Qing Dynasty, the last one in the Chinese history. However, many elements were in fact borrowed from the traditional Chinese musical theatre.

Despite the fact that the Chinese Opera usually reflect old stories that go back to the 12 th and 13 th century, it also addressed many modern and contemporary themes. A great example would be when Moa Zedong came to power in the 1950s, the opera started tackling the communalism of China. Today, the opera represents one of the attractions tourists who travel to China are keen to explore.

During the cultural revolution of China, in the period from 1966 till 1976, the traditional Chinese opera shows were factually banned. All the performances were to glorify the achievements of communalism. The beautiful old Chinese operas were back on stage after Mao’s death in 1976. It is the old Chinese opera that really astonish tourists spending their vacations in China due to its wonderful costumes and distinctive music.

Most of the costumes we view today in the Opera of Beijing date back to the ruling period of the Ming Dynasty. Each character in the traditional Chinese opera has a certain color he wears in all performances and stories. The emperor wears the blue color, scholars wear blue outfits, and bandits usually put on black robes. The clothes used in the Chinese opera are among the most amazing elements that amaze tourists from all over the world who travel to China to enjoy their vacation.