• The repertoire of Peking Opera is mainly engaged in fairy tales of preceding dynasties, important historical events, emperors, ministers and generals, geniuses and great beauties, from the ancient times to Yao, Shun, Yu, the Spring and Autumn Period, the Warring States Period and the dynasties of Qin, Han, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing. Some of them also were adopted from the literature and classical novels, which are well known among the publichistory.
• 京剧角色的行当划分比较严格，早期分为生、旦、 净、末、丑、武行、流行（龙套）七行，以后归 为生、旦、净、丑四大行，每一种行当内又有细 致的进一步分工。“生”是除了花脸以及丑角以 外的男性角色的统称，又分老生（须生）、小生、 武生、娃娃生。“旦”是女性角色的统称，内部 又分为正旦、花旦、闺门旦、武旦、老旦、彩旦 （揺旦）刀马旦。“净”，俗称花脸，大多是扮 演性格、品质或相貌上有些特异的男性人物，化 妆用脸谱，音色洪亮，风格粗犷。“净”又分为 以唱工为主的大花脸，如包拯；以做工为主的二 花脸，如曹操。“丑”，扮演喜剧角色，因在鼻 梁上抹一小块白粉，俗称小花脸。
• Over a period of more than half a century of combination and integration of various kinds of opera there evolved the present Peking Opera. • Peking Opera is the most significant of all operas in China, and it has a richness of repertoire, great number of artists and audiences, that give it a profound influence in China and plays a large role in Chinese culture.
• The types of facial make-ups in Peking Opera are rich and various, depicting different characters and remarkable images, therefore they are highly appreciated. Moreover there are numerous fixed editions of facial make-up.
• Peking Opera is a synthesis of stylized action, singing, dialogue and mime, acrobatic fighting and dancing to represent a story or depict different characters and their feelings of gladness, anger, sorrow, happiness, surprise, fear and sadness. The characters may be loyal or treacherous, beautiful or ugly, good or bad, their images being vividly manifested.
• Peking Opera Stage Set-up • In the past, stages in most Chinese theaters were square platforms exposed to the audience on three sides, even all sides sometimes. In the latter case, performances could be watched from the back also. An embroidered curtain known as a shoujiu was hung over the platform, which was thus divided into two parts: the back stage and the stage.
The contrast between Peking Opera and Italian opera
Peking Opera
• Peking Opera of China is a national treasure with a history of 200 years. 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 Peking's theoretical circle of the time.
• 歌手所扮演的角色依照他们各自不同的音 域(tessitura)、敏捷度、力量和音色(timbre) 来分类。男性歌手由音域低至高分为：男 低音、男中低音、男中音、男高音、假声 男高音(sopranist/countertenor)。女性歌手 由音域低至高分为：女低音、次女高音以 及女高音。女高音也可细分为花腔女高音 和抒情女高音等不同种类。基本上男声的 音域皆低于所有女声，但某些假声男高音 能唱到女低音的音域。而假声男高音唱多 见于古代谱写的由阉伶所唱的角色。
• 咏叹调 • 咏叹调是歌剧中主角们抒发感情的主 要唱段，它们的音乐很好听，结构较完整， 能表现歌唱家的声乐技巧，因而我们经常 也会在音乐会上听到它们，如《蝴蝶夫人》 的咏叹调“晴朗的一天”，《茶花女》的 咏叹调“为什么我的心这么激动”、和罗 西娜的咏叹调“我的心里有一个声音”等 等。 • 宣叙调
• Famous Peking Opera Players • The theatrical or musical occupation was considered the lowest class in the society. Opera performance used to be a male dominated profession. Mixed performances were prohibited. All the roles were played by male.
• Since Mei Lanfang, the grand master of Peking Opera, visited Japan in 1919, Peking Opera has become more and more popular with people all over the world, and it has made an excellent contribution to cultural exchange between China and the West, to friendly association and to improvement of solidarity
• The music of Peking Opera is that of the "plate and cavity style".Its melody with harmonious rhythms is graceful and pleasing to the ears. The melody may be classified into two groups: "Xipi" and "erhong", guiding pattern, original pattern, slow pattern, quick pattern, desultory pattern being their chief patterns. The performance is accompanied by a tune played on wind instruments, percussion instruments and stringed instruments, the chief musical instruments being jinghu (a twostringed bowed instrument with a high register), yueqin (a four-stringed plucked instrument with a full-moonshaped sound box), Sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument), Suona horn, flute drum, big-gong, cymbals, small-gong, etc.
• 歌剧（opera）是将音乐（声乐与器乐）、戏剧 （剧本与表演）、文学（诗歌）、舞蹈（民间舞 与芭蕾）、舞台美术等融为一体的综合性艺术， 通常由咏叹调、宣叙调、重唱、合唱、序曲、间 奏曲、舞蹈场面等组成（有时也用说白和朗诵)。 早在古希腊的戏剧中，就有合唱队的伴唱，有些 朗诵甚至也以歌唱的形式出现；中世纪以宗教故 事为题材，宣扬宗教观点的神迹剧等亦香火缭绕， 持续不断。但真正称得上“音乐的戏剧”的近代 西洋歌剧，却是16世纪末、17世纪初，随着文艺 复兴时期音乐文化的世俗化而应运产生的