I.Background Information

Chinese Xiqu（Chinese opera）is a popular form of drama and musical theatre in China with roots going back as far as the third century CE.There are numerous regional branches of Xiqu,of which Jingju（Beijing opera）is one of the most notable.

Canjun Xi of the Three Kingdoms period was one of the first Chinese operatic forms.Chinese Xiqu in a more organized form began in the Tang Dynasty with Emperor Xuanzong（712 755）,who founded the“Pear Garden”,the first known theater troupe in China.The troupe mostly performed for the emperors'personal pleasure.To this day operatic professionals are still referred to as“Disciples of the Pear Garden”.

Forms such as the Zaju and Nanxi further matured in the Song Dynasty（960 1279）.In the Yuan Dynasty（1279 1368）,which acts based on rhyming schemes plus the innovation of having specialized roles like Dan（female）,Sheng（male）,Hua（painted⁃face）and Chou（clown）were introduced into the theater.Although actors in theatrical performances of the Song Dynasty strictly adhered to speaking in Classical Chinese onstage,during the Yuan Dynasty actors speaking in the vernacular tongue gained precedent on stage.

The dominant form of the Ming（1368 1644）and early Qing dynasties was Kunqu,which originated in the Wu cultural area.It later evolved into a longer form of play called Chuanqi,which became one of the five melodies that made up Sichuan Xi.Currently Chinese operas continue to exist in 368 different forms,the best known being Jingju,which assumed its present form in the mid⁃19th century and was extremely popular in the latter part of the Qing Dynasty（1644 1911）.

In Jingju,traditional Chinese string and percussion instruments provide a strong rhythmic accompaniment to the acting.The acting is based on allusion:gestures,footwork,and other body movements express such actions as riding a horse,rowing a boat,or opening a door.Spoken dialogue is divided into recitative and Beijing colloquial speech,the former employed by serious characters and the latter by young females and clowns.Character roles are strictly defined.Elaborate make⁃up designs portray which character is acting.Masks are used in the opera；each color has a different meaning.They are used to portray a character's role and illustrate their emotional state and general character.For instance,white represents sinister,evil,crafty,treacherous,and suspicious.Anyone wearing a white mask is usually the villain.The traditional repertoire of Jingju includes more than 1,000 works,mostly taken from historical novels about political and military struggles.