Peking Opera: Makeup, Roles and History of Chinese Jingju

A gong tears through the silence, the cymbals race, and a figure bursts forth, face painted red and black like a living mask. The voice rises into a piercing, almost unreal register; the water sleeves, long bands of white silk, whip the air with each gesture. He does not walk, he glides; he does not fight, he dances a fight. In a few seconds, with no set or prop, the bare stage has become a battlefield. This is Peking opera.

Peking opera is China's most famous performing art, a total spectacle that fuses singing, declamation, mime, dance and martial arts. Beneath its dazzling colors and enigmatic conventions lies a language codified to the extreme, where every color, every gesture, every silence carries meaning. To understand jingju is to learn to read a theater where nothing is left to chance.

Origins: the meeting of the Anhui troupes#

Contrary to what its name suggests, Peking opera was not born in the capital, and it is more recent than people think. Its birth is traced to 1790, when, for the eightieth birthday of Emperor Qianlong, troupes from Anhui province were invited to perform in Beijing.

These troupes stayed, and from their encounter with other regional styles, notably those of Hubei, a new form was born in the early nineteenth century, a synthesis of several traditions. Peking opera reached its golden age under the late Qing, even enjoying the favor of the imperial court and of the famous dowager empress Cixi, a great lover of the genre.

Peking opera does not imitate reality: it suggests it. A whip in the hand means a horse; four soldiers, an army; a turn around the stage, a journey of a thousand li. The spectator completes, the actor evokes.

The four roles: a codified typology#

Every character in Peking opera belongs to one of the four great role types (hangdang), which determine the costume, makeup, singing and gesture.

Sheng and dan#

The sheng is the "positive" male role: young scholar, old bearded sage, or warrior (wusheng). The dan is the female role, long played by men: the noble and virtuous lady, the young coquette, the warrior woman. These two registers rely above all on singing and the refinement of gesture.

Jing and chou#

The jing, or "painted face," is the role with spectacular makeup: general, hero, demon, with a powerful and clear-cut personality. The chou, the "clown," recognizable by the white patch around the nose, brings comedy and agility. Each has its own voice, gait and world.

The lianpu makeup: a face that speaks#

The most striking feature of the jing is its facial makeup, the lianpu, a veritable mask painted onto the skin itself. Far from being decorative, it codes the character's personality through its colors.

Red signifies loyalty and courage; black, uprightness and integrity; white, cunning and treachery (villains are often white-faced); blue and green, savagery or rebellion; gold and silver, gods and spirits. At a single glance, the knowing spectator knows whom they are dealing with.

Mei Lanfang and global reach#

Peking opera has its legends, and the greatest is named Mei Lanfang, the undisputed master of dan roles. Through the grace of his playing, he raised the refinement of female roles to a peak and helped have jingju recognized as a major art.

In the 1930s, Mei Lanfang made Peking opera known abroad, performing in the United States and the Soviet Union, where he impressed theater figures such as Brecht and Stanislavski. The avowed, non-illusionist theatricality of jingju fed Western reflection on stage direction.

Peking opera today: between heritage and survival#

The twentieth century was harsh for jingju. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), traditional opera was banned in favor of eight "model operas" on revolutionary themes. The art was reborn afterward, but had to face a new challenge: competition from cinema, television and the tastes of a younger audience.

Today, Peking opera is recognized as a national treasure and has been inscribed since 2010 on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage. Schools, state troupes and festivals strive to transmit it, while cinema (Farewell My Concubine, 1993) carried its image around the world. The challenge remains to win over new generations without betraying an art of extreme demand.

To learn about Peking opera is to learn to read a language: the colors of the lianpu, the four roles, the grammar of gestures. Behind the clash of the gongs and the gleam of the silks hides a civilization of the sign, where, as the bare stage has it, a single whip is enough to set a whole empire galloping.

FAQ#

What is Peking opera? It is China's most famous performing art (京剧, jingju), a total spectacle blending singing, declamation, mime, dance and martial arts, born at the turn of the nineteenth century from the fusion of regional troupes in Beijing.

What do the makeup colors mean? The facial makeup (lianpu) codes personality: red for loyalty, black for integrity, white for cunning and treachery, blue and green for savagery, gold and silver for the supernatural.

What are the four roles of Peking opera? The sheng (positive male role), the dan (female role), the jing ("painted face," powerful character) and the chou (the comic clown). Each has its own singing, gesture and costume.

Who was Mei Lanfang? The greatest actor of Peking opera (1894-1961), master of female roles (dan). He brought this art to its peak and made it known abroad in the 1930s.

Photo credits: the images used in this article come from Pexels and Unsplash and are royalty-free.