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Chinese opera of the Peking variety is a difficult abstract art which synthesizes music, drama, dancing, and acrobatics along with very elaborate costumes and a minimum of props, according to traditions and customs dating back as far as the twelfth century. Very early in their training Chinese opera performers begin specializing in one of the four principal types of roles:

Sheng:
The male roles, sheng, are divided into mature, young, and militant or martial, personality, and social position ranging from common to royal. The hsiao sheng is usually a young scholar or a lover; the wu sheng, a fighting or military man; the lao sheng or hsu sheng, an aged man; the hung sheng, a red-faced aged man. The militant or martial males are skilled in the art of kung fu.

Tan
The female roles, tan, include ladies, maidens, warriors, and militant maidens. The tao ma tan is a warrior; the lao tan, an aged woman; the wu tan, an acrobatic fighter; the hua tan, a vivacious young woman or coquette; the hua shan, a beautiful young comic in a leading role; the ching i, usually a faithful wife, lover, or maiden in distress; the tsai tan, usually a shrewd and sometimes comic role. It is the tan role which is characterized by the high-pitched "squeaky" voice cultivated to attract the attention of the audience and appeal to the auditory preference of traditional Chinese gentlemen.

Ching
The painted-face roles, ching, include both singers, tung chui, and warriors, chia tzu. The cheng ching is a primarily painted-face role; the wu ching, a predominately fighting and gymnastic role; the chia tzu hua, a role in which gesture and deportment predominate; the fu ching, a vigorous villain. Various personality traits are indicated by different colors of facial paint. For example, red designates an honest, loyal, righteous, straightforward, and trustworthy character; white stands for cunning, craftiness, and scheming; black for bravery and justice; and green for cruelty, pride, violence, and toughness. The painted-face warriors are very skillful fighters.

Chou
The male clown roles include the wen chou, who speaks perfect Mandarin and is a master of satire; the wu chou, an acrobatic expert in martial arts; and the wen wu chou, a fighting civilian. Female clowns frequently portray naive rural folk. The clown characters are easy to distinguish by a white "triangle" painted on the middle of the face. The base of this triangle covers the nose and about half of the cheekbones; the apex is the lower forehead located between the eyebrows; on the sides of the triangle and moving upward, the eyelids are partially covered with paint. The chou characters are the only ones who sing or speak in a natural voice. They are also free to make impromptu remarks, to satirize other characters, or merely to elicit laughter.

It should be noted that, at least theoretically, any of these character roles can be portrayed by persons of either gender. The clown roles, chou, include both male and female characters.

The Beijing Opera (or Peking Opera) has existed for over 200 years. It is widely regarded as the highest expression of the Chinese culture. It is known as one of the three main theatrical systems in the world. Although it is called Beijing Opera, its origins are not in Beijing but in the Chinese provinces of Anhui and Hubei. Beijing Opera got its two main melodies, Xi_Pi and Er_Huang, from Anhui and Hubei operas. It then absorbed music and arias from other operas and musical arts in China.

It is regarded that Beijing Opera was born when the Four Great Anhui Troupes came to Beijing in 1790. Beijing Opera was originally staged for the royal family and came into the public later. In 1828, some famous Hubei Troupe players came to Beijing. Hubei and Anhui troupes often jointly performed in the stage. The combination gradually formed the mainstream of Beijing Opera's melodies. One of the rare forms of entertainment, it was favored by people from all walks of the society, from the high-ranking government officials to the lower levels of society. There are thousands of pieces covering the entire history and literature of China, even including revised stories from the west.

There are as many kinds of Chinese Opera as there are dialects. It has been estimated that there are thousands branches of Chinese Opera. Most of them are local, dominating a region within a province and its surrounding area. However, Beijing Opera is the national standard, and has a higher reputation than any of the other branches of Chinese Opera. Almost every province of China has more than one Beijing Opera troupe. Beijing and Tianjin are respected as the key base cities in the north while Shanghai is the base in the south.

During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), Beijing Opera suffered along with other kinds of theatrical arts in China. All the traditional pieces reflecting the Old Societies were banned from performance. The famous Eight Model Plays, featuring the communist activities during the anti-Japanese war and the civil war with the Nationalists, as well as the class struggles after the founding of the People's Republic, were then developed. Many outstanding Beijing Opera and Kunqu Opera actors and actresses performed in these operas. Although "Class Struggle" was the theme of most of these plays, these plays introduced some new forms of stage performances. Many people who grew up during the Cultural Revelution are still in favor of the music and singing from the Eight Model Plays.

Traditional Beijing Opera was allowed to be shown again in 1978. But due to the threat from other entertainments, Beijing Opera's out-of-date styles and the lack of historical and theatrical knowledge of the young, this art had lost a lot of its audiences. Most of the audiences are old people, who were children when Beijing Opera was at its peak. The art is dying.

There have been campaigns and efforts to rescue this and other theatrical arts. An impressive new experiment has combined Western drama with traditional Chinese operatic style. Director Wu Hsing-kuo produced a highly innovative and successful adaption of Shakespeare's Macbeth into a modern Peking Opera. Rather than forsaking tradition, this type of experiment is an intermediary step that helps to make traditional Chinese Opera more accessible to modern audiences.