Beijing Opera

Beijing Opera is one of the most celebrated operas in China. Combining music, song, dance, acrobatics and mime into a dramatic routine, the performances are unique. The story usually depicts historical events, fairy tales of different dynasties and life of emperors. Sometimes narrations revolve around great beauties and love stories. The stage is filled with performers dressed in intricately embroidered traditional costumes. Their faces are accentuated by bright colours to express feelings of sorrow, joy, happiness, surprise, fear and anger vividly. The use of various colours in costumes and facial paints is highly symbolic, where red signifies loyalty, yellow means fierceness, blue is cruelty and white symbolises evil. Chang'an Grand Theatre and Liyuan Theatre are the best opera theatres to watch classic repertoires. They hold performances throughout the day at reasonable prices. If you want to refrain from spending much but still want to see Chinese opera then head to any of the popular tea houses, where you can enjoy traditional performances while sipping tea and munching snacks.