Peking Opera

京剧

Originally a form of local theatre, Peking Opera spread all over the country and then became the national opera of China.

京剧本来是一种地方性的戏剧表演形式，由于它传遍中国大江南北，深受群众欢迎与喜爱，所以就慢慢演变成了代表中国艺术特色的全国性戏剧。

About 200 years ago, the Qing Emperor Qianlong toured in southern China and developed an interest in the local operas. On his 80th birthday, he let local opera troupes come to Beijing to perform for him. Some remained in Beijing after the celebration. The ones from Anhui and Hubei were incorporated with the palace opera -Kunqu Opera, which formed the Peking Opera.

大约在200多年前，清朝的乾隆皇帝在南巡时，对地方上的戏剧产生了浓厚的兴趣。于是，在他80岁生日的时候，下旨传召了很多地方上的戏剧表演团来京为他祝寿。部分戏剧表演者在表演结束后，就留存了北京。这些来自安徽与湖北的表演家将昆曲与宫庭戏剧相结合，逐步演变和发展成了后来响誉中国的“京剧”。

Peking Opera combines stylized acting with singing, dancing, musical dialogues, martial arts, colorful facial make-up and artistic costumes.

京剧表演融合了唱、念、作、打等多种艺术表现形式，辅以五彩缤纷的服装道具以及化妆。

Female roles are "Dan", male roles are “Sheng”, and clowns are “Chou”. Each role, according to their sex, age and disposition, is characterized by different designs of facial make-up. So the audience can easily tell what kind of character an actor is performing. Facial make-up, costumes and head - dresses are wonderful works of traditional art.

在京剧中，女性的角色被称做“旦”，男性的角色被称做“生”，小丑被称做“丑”每个角色都会依照他们的性别、年龄及个性，在脸上画不同的脸谱。这样，观众可以很容易地分清这些演员所扮员的角色是什么样的性格。化妆、服饰、行头—这些都是令人称奇的艺术品。

In the past, both Dan and Sheng roles were played by male actors, but now they also can be played by female. It is necessary to see Peking Opera while you are in China, just as seeing an opera while in Italy. There are also some other types of opera staged in China, such as Kunqu Opera, Pingju Opera and Hebei Bangzi as well as other operas from different places.

在过去，京剧中的角色只能由男性扮演，而现在，无论是男人还是女人，都可以登台演出了。当你来到中国的时候，一定要去看一场京剧，就像是你到了意大利一定要去听一场歌剧一样。当然，中国还有很多其它的戏剧，比如说“昆曲”、“评剧”、“河北邦子”等等。