Peking Opera Masks
A Chinese traditional art form,Peking Opera has been entertaining audiences for centuries. A Peking Opera performance is a magical combination of drama,music,song,dance,mime, acrobatics,fantastic makeup and costumes.Among that,one notable aspect of Peking Opera is its use of masks.Different colours of masks give special meaning to Peking Opera characters.
A red mask,for example,symbolises that this character is a hero and has positive characteristics,such as honesty and loyalty.The mask of Guan Yu is a typical example of a “full,red face”.
The dominant use of black on a mask suggests a bold but rough character,such as Zhang Fei,or Bao Zheng,who is serious,fair and selfless.
When audiences see a blue mask,they can expect this character to be upright and brave in the face of challenges.But beware of the character in a yellow mask!This is a fierce character.
A white mask declares that the character cannot be trusted.They are disloyal and aim to do harm!Beware,this character is also clever and will cheat people to get what they want.A good example here is the character Cao Cao.
For the clowns of traditional drama,there is a special makeup pattern called xiaobualian. This is a black and white mask that is just painted on and round the actor's nose.A character with this mask is funny and entertaining,easily winning the affection of the audience.
In 2010,Peking Opera was declared an item of Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. Today,its language of colour speaks to audiences all over the world.
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