Beijing: Emotional adventure with Beijing opera

Beijing always obsess me with so much blood, so much unjustified soul, so much intrigue and enmity have layered on this place along the length of its 3,000 years history. Surely no any emotional demand urges me to this place; beyond wishes enjoy opera at the place that made it famous once.

Farewell My Concubine (霸王别姬)

Must be seen an opera at real stage to understand why its masks incredible charm to us. No footage or photographs that could describe the expression on the movements of the face. The colours and strokes created a real skin on the performer's face that truly moving with emotionals of the story. That's not a mask, it is the symbolized emotions.

Difference of opening eye size show differences emotion of Xiang Yu

Look the expressive mask of Xiang Yu with unhappy look shadows on his brave appearance, you could not pity for unfortunate hero. Listen to the mournful words to explain to his bad situation of Ms.Yu Ji in the prelude: Looking Great King from the canopies of peaceful sleep. Me here quietly walked out with the scattered sadness. Listen to anger as that Xiang Yu says when facing with hopeless battle: My strength plucked up the hills,/ My might shadowed the world;/ But the times were against me/ And Dapple runs no more; see original Chinese version in Xiang Yu)(1) that the audiences could not feel pity for the fragile fate of a common person's life.

Ms. Yu Ji and King Xiang Yu

There is no pain equal of impotent effort to save a beauty lady of the hero! Ms.Yu Ji is a concubine but not banal beauty yet, she invites wine the King then play a sword dance to entertain him, she sing that: The Han army has conquered our land;/ We are surrounded by Chu songs; / My lord's spirits are low;/ Why then should I live? (see original Chinese version in Consort Yu). Then use Xiang Yu sword to kill herself when nobody not notices on her.

Yu Ji invite wine Xiang Yu sence

Peking Opera mask is unique in its implications. Xiang Yu has the cross face style, typical for the main character or brave general. His face is special make up with bird pattern and become a uniquely mask in Beijing opera. Imply for his unfinished career clearly appear on his face with three wan (万) characters on either side of the forehead and between the eyeholes. "Wan" in Chinese language means never get to an end or there is no chance to get to the end (2).

Costume and mask of Xiang Yu before performance time

You must show your admiration for sword dance that artist Mei Lanfang composed in 1921 for this play. Miss Yu Ji moves the two sword follow the rhythm of each every her steps, while slow, while fast, while soft, while strong as the swords telling about the brave past of Overlord of Western Chu. There is no wine bitter as the wine of life that he must be swallowed to forget his sorrow of loss. This sword dance has become the standard and is not a substitute for any performance form of artists after Mei Lanfang generation.

Sword dance of miss Yu Ji

Farewell my Concubine, a heroic short story, always evokes the true sorrow of live and death and the regret of unsuccessful dreams. The literature characters are priority than martial actions. Audiences are overwhelming in a melodious singing mournful tone, "as never endless tears" with a wonderful lyric same as a beautiful poem (3). All of them are performed by an actress who face is a typical make up for army lady character in Beijing opera.

Miss Yu Ji make up face

Oval face, pointed chin, arched eyebrows, almond-shaped eye sockets and mouth as a small cluster of birds rose are the ideal concepts of China's feminine beauty, are shown on the face of Consort Yu. Characteristics of a marital female emphasized on the eyebrow slanted up sharp make eyes look bigger than usual. This typical aesthetics comes from the colour of the faces are covered white powder, blush and eye socket are darker pink with sophisticated eyes drawing by black stencil.

Yu Beauty Lady (虞美人) stepped out of history into the Beijing opera by a glance, gentle and natural way. The way same as the Yu Beauty Grass was drunk by a beauty intimates wine (4), a fine wine of eternity dreams not only of King but also of all man all over the world.

The two generals

Peking Opera focus on performing arts, it is mainly respected body movements and emphasis on enjoy music and singing. The songs of Beijing opera are easy understand as daily speech, absolutely not try to improve literature meaning and words using. The Two Generals is a play that can give a good example for this claim. This play demonstrate the great battle between two generals Zhang Fei and Ma Chao, a most famous battle in the Romance of Three Kingdoms novel by Luo Guanzhong.

Zhang Fei and Ma Chao

Almost no dialogue, audience satisfy with splendid armor in a severe battle of a pair of rival competitors. They are dancing with virtuosity movements, a perfect combination between dance and martial arts of China.

The signs of a battle intense appear from the opening when both actors enter the stage in fighting warcoat with scary cap on their head and four signal flags on their shoulder. They are regarded as sign of ready status for the battle ahead.

Ma Chao appeared with fighting invitation dance send to Zhang Fei staying in the citadel

Luo Guanzhong abundantly describes and stylizes Ma Chao as beauty of a beautiful young male. "Ma Chao is a young general, beautiful face as jade, bright eyes like stars, his body like tiger, hand like monkey's hand, stomach like leopard and back like wolf's back, he holding a long spear and ride on a beautiful horse ". Costumes of Peking Opera make Luo Guanzhong describes become reality image, an image representing two standards role of a young warrior (Wusheng) in Peking opera: imposing and beauty.

Costume and face mask of Ma Chao

Ma Chao's costume is a harmonious combination of three tones of white, black and blue. This combination tries to show the beauty of a noble origin young man. This character almost has a combination of perfect appearance, fitness and performance. Face of Ma Chao was made-up almost same in real life with red rose plain style mask combined with two vertical eyebrow represent a glorious majestic martial. Costumes and make up build an image of Beauty Ma Chao as an ideal aspiration of a man in Chinese minds.

Contrary to simple face of Ma Chao is extremely complicated mask of Zhang Fei. This is probably the most beautiful and uniquely mask among all of Beijing Opera masks.

Costume and face mask of Zhang Fei

Zhang Fei's mask called flower face, belong to cross face type same as Xiang Yu mask but his face were a butterfly drawing. The colour black is classified by the vertical line between the frontal forehead, the line divided his face to two symmetrical half parts. Black symbolizes roughness and fierceness characters of these brave generals which Zhang Fei is a typical representative.

It was strange that the audience absolutely not heard the sound of touching weapon during this dramatic play. Two "tiger general" sometimes antagonistic moving and sometimes entering into each other in a synchronize dance that both acting together.

Antagonistic moving (above) and synchronize dance (below) of both actors

The story told that the two sides have fought for more than two hundred and thirty rounds, from noon to evening, through the night, but always remained inconclusive. The stage full of dance movements call "action" and "kick", body movements such as rotating, running and jumping lightly skim  and show the beauty of dances and costumes. The two piece "chest cover" of their armor are sophisticate design to emphasize the brave appearance of the characters. It also supports to improve the beauty of legs and body movements, the movements are strongly effected by martial arts.

Action and kick movements

The two actors also continued to show a round in hand. Now is time for true martial arts. One white, one black, two tigers entwine each other under the intense sound of beat and drum. Sometimes you just see only two shadows on stage because too fast movement of them, as they thought that there are two hidden butterflies at night.

The battle of two general in hand

Peking Opera is affected by the beauty concepts of China and it also appreciates its beauty. Two masks of Ma Chao and Zhang Fei with extreme contrasts appeared on stage at the same time "not only no eliminated but also highlight the other, showing colourful beauty and diversify looks of Beijing opera theatre". (5)

The extreme contrasts appearence of Ma Chao and Zhang Fei

I do not understand why artist draw a so beautiful and delicate mask for Zhang Fei whom crude and impatience characters. It is thought that the character of Zhang Fei in most other plays are funny so his face should just painted butterfly in a humorous way. However in The Two Generals, Zhang Fei was a brave general and reckless rather funny, so Shang Heyu (6), a talented Wusheng Beijing opera actor must create a special mask for Zhang Fei and it exists as people are seeing today. Perhaps when painting Zhang Fei mask, Shang Heyu has think of him as an artist, a calligraphy master and a painter specialist in draw beautiful ladies.

Emotional adventure with Beijing opera

Floating on delicated choreography and melodious sound. Ancient China, Chine of truth, goodness and beauty values really is not far away. It stay in front of me, a traveler just want to have a simple look at Beijing opera but irresistible its wonderful beauties since my first look.

Does not any poet immerse themself in expressing words of Beauty Yu Ji? Does not any writer thinking of Ma Chao Beauty in their works? Does not any painter wish to have a famous painting same as the butterfly on Zhang Fei face? Does not any philosopher drop their tears on Xiang Yu when thinking of the impermanent of human being? Beijing Opera is probably the dream of an ideal life that really hard to see in China forever.

Beauty Ma Chao in white coat and horse

The scene Ma Chao lonely riding a white horse leave the arena at the end of this play actually express so much feeling. Featured white shadow on a pure simplicity black background of the stage give us the nonsense meaning of war. Is there any glory behind the halo of war, isn't it?

Stop wondered about human being meanings. Stop wondered about philosophy questions. Beauty and beauty aiming is probably the main motivation for Peking Opera was born and developed. Whether in any shape or form, beauty is always one and unchanged, always a challenge with time as Peking Opera standing inside modern China now.

Notes:

(1). Last two sentences of Gai Xia Ge (蔡霞葛) a song composed by Xiang Yu while he was trapped by Liu Bang's forces at Gai Xia citadel. The lyrics in English as above are based on Watson's translation "Dapple" is Watson's translation of the name of Xiang Yu's warhorse Zhui (騅).

(2). Chinese idiom that says: 万 字 不到 头, literally ten thousand words have not head to describe the continuous and endless of swastika pattern as often seen in the motifs on the door frame or in temples, in order to express the endless of nice things. Three "wan" on Xiang Yu head meaning of an event that his career never get an end , it is a play on words by placing "wan" (万) to "head" (头) of Xiang Yu.

(3) and (5). Letters excerpt from the Chinese Theatre of Beijing Opera, Tu Thanh Bac. Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House. 2013

(4). Legend told that after the death of Yu Ji, where her blood poured grown a grass species, when people pours wine next to it the grass will gracefully dance like scene in wine party of Xiang Yu. So it was called "Beauty Yu Grass".

(6). Shang Heyu (1873-1959) a famous Peking Opera artist specializing plays male martial roles. He often plays with Mei Lanfang, very famous men played female roles, who composed the play Farewell my Concubine. In addition he was found to teach at China Opera Vocational schools and Shanghai Drama School.