IntroductionPeking Opera is the quintessence of Chinese culture, is one of the important national opera popular in China. So far, Peking Opera has 200 years history. In the 55th year of the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty(1790), the four big Huiban opera Troupes entered the capital and combined with Kunqu opera, Yiyang opera, Hanju opera and Luantan in Beijing's thearetical circle of the time. Transferred from the emblem, the Han have been transferred to the evolution of opera, has experienced countless times between changes. Similar with the development of the Peking opera, Western musical is also the reflection of the lives of the people, namely in the form of song and dance to play story. The initially by the comic opera and light opera or operetta) evolved early called "musical comedy", later referred to as the "musical" is the 19th century originated in the late British pattern vectors, by dialogue and singing combination performance form of drama. Drama, music, dance and musical fusion is equal to a furnace, humorous appealand comedy. In this essay, it first introduces the history of Peking Opera and the Western musical, followed by table comparison in performances and music characteristics of difference, then elaborately explain the difference from the aspects of performance and musical feature. Finally, the paper summarizes the similarities and differences of Peking Opera and the Western musical.Contrast tablePeking opera Western musicalperformance The virtual nature of the stageperformanceReal effect Procedural nature FlexibilitySimple Large-scale production Direct communication Indirect communicationMusical features A variety of accents, plate canbe used repeatedlyCreating music according tothe script and the composer'sstyleJinghu, moonguitar, Beijingurheen, instrument category issinglemusical instruments, timbre,volume and tone is moreabundantClassical musical instrument Modern AcousticsThe singing is mainly Pihuang Music diversityElaborationPeking opera is about the virtual nature of the stage performance. Stage the scene changes, field and field of space-time conversion and manipulation of the main characters in the play for the end, such as Peking Opera "havoc in heaven," a drama, Erlang rate generals will catch up with the Monkey King the stage is the temple, behind a turn in the play, the stage is the mountain of flowers and fruit, no Material object will appear on the stage. On the stage of Peking opera either performance，stage props or other facilities, what they emphasized is a symbolic, give audiences the room of imagine. But the Western musicals is different, what he insists is a real effect, stage props and performances and characters is lifelike. Such as the musical Cats, the story takes place in a garbage processing field. All the garbage is elaborately designed according to theproportion of cat. Drum, tires, waste toothpaste, fish bones and other 250 sets of cat clothing. More than 30 yak wool and human hair makes the hair and cat paws and tails, which is conscientious and meticulous, vivid. In order to allow the audience could watch the musical from different angles of ornamental, theater seats in a block is made into form that can rotate along the circular stage stands. The stage design and the use of modern science and technology means, impressed the audience.The stage space of Peking opera is very free, it is not restricted by time and space of real life. The curtain may opened, but before the actor play, the stage does not mean any time or place. The time and space of Peking Opera is determined by the activity of the actors. For example, when a role play in Peking Opera, he could demonstrate that the stage is his study room by speaking, singing. But when he left the stage this study room does not exist anymore. Another role through his performance can indicate that the stage is a rugged mountain. When a role sat in his own house doing nothing and want to go his friends’ home , he go a circle on the stage which called rounders, then his house is converted into his friend's home. Again, when the role heard a unexpected news, shocked, though this psychological reaction is a moment, but for portraying characters, can use a long time to sing. Instead, like writing letters, read the letter, drinking, which need a certain period of time to play, but for conciseness, only show the role’s stance, play with a suona Qupai, and that is complete.Commercial makes musicals emphasized visual pleasure in the process of performing. And there are two ways for musicals to obtain commercial benefits, one is small scale to reduce costs, another is the big scale, big investment, big productions to attract the audience. Therefore, there are two forms of musical: one is the mainstream like the Broadway , another is the Off Broadway, Off Broadway is the small experimental form. This essay mainly discuss the characteristics of large-scale mainstream musicals.Different from the musicals, the Peking Opera, audience and actors can communicate directly. For example, an actor lift a hand, with long sleeves to block the sight of another actor, to tell the audience truth, and if another actor didn’t hear these words, called it dabeigong. Unlike the musicals, when watch Peking Opera, audience can respond to the actors at any time. For example, audience can immediately respond with warm applause, and applaud loudly for the actors superb martial arts, beautiful drawl, and the musicians’wonderful play. The actors and musicians encouraged by the audience , played harder. So, the theater is full of warm atmosphere.Peking Opera is formula, while musical is flexible.The main features of the Peking Opera is the well organized artistic language, which gives the characters life, smiles, and even the distinctive external image. This well organized artistic language displays the nature and characteristics of characters. By the means of externalization, materialization, object-oriented to change the motion that can not express in logical language, and the unrestrained motion into appreciable sense.The regularity of Peking opera performance is rules that opera performances must follow,and on the stage, it is not allowed to appear a natural original form. The formula is a form of unique virtual and symbolic of Chinese opera, which is formed in the practice of long time Chines Opera performance. Peking Opera performance formula is the starting point to create images and for the others to follow. A separate formula, although has the general content of life (such as movement formula like opening and closing of the door, upstairs, downstairs, and expression formula likelaughing and crying, fear and happy ), but it can not create an independent stage image, only that actors according to the requirements of the character and provisions of the scene, combined several formulas according to the certain logic of life with the stage logic, can they express the specific thoughts and feelings, and create a complete stage image.The performance of musical is not stick to one pattern, it is creative without excessive dogmatism. First of all, in the scenery, it will add big props according to the needs of the story, such as a helicopter descends from the sky, which will not appear on the Peking Opera stage, but for a musical, it can happen at all costs to adapt the plot needs. The majority of musical themes are from the stories that people love, there are few fixed content. The creation of music, musical instruments, and the choice of language, are also based on the innovation and market demand, never suffer from the shackles of the traditional model.Nowadays, Chinese opera faces to the problem of how to continue developing, some people think that Peking opera become depressed by the impact of foreign culture and entertainment. In fact, think carefully, a hundred years ago the musical also had this kind of experience. Musical is coming, accepting the test of the times. In the development process, constantly absorb the advantages of other art forms, absorbing, constantly enrich and improve its, maintained the exuberant vitality. And the Chinese opera in where also know this truth, but development for hundreds of years is becoming more and more deviated from the track of development.。