A scene of Lady Mu Guiying Takes Command. Mei Lanfang created the play and played the heroine when he was advanced in age.

A wu chou in a traditional play.

     Love does not have an important place in Peking Opera. There may be love in a play, but emphasis is on the sharing of hardships by husband and wife or on gratitude instead of on love. Of dozens of popular Peking Operas, each one re-acts a standard morality tale of an uncertain historical period. There are stories about the goo d eventually vanquishing the evil, and of a lady of noble status loving a poor scholar rather than a young man of her own class and the poor scholar eventually winning an official position. Such morality stories, if deprived of details and certain peculiarities, have a generality and typicality.

A scene of Autumn River (qiu jiang), in which Tong Zhiling (left) Plays a Taoist nun and Wang Sishui a boatman.

   Today, audiences usually view Peking Opera through watching what is called zhezi xi. What is zhezi xi? It refers to one act (zhezi) in a multi-act drama. It might not have a beginning or an ending but is the highlight of a drama, which people never get tired of watching. Zhezi xi , or one-act operas, are used to test the maturity of young performers and fans. Why? Well-known one- act operas are familiar to the audience, who, after comparing the performances of different actors and actresses in such operas, can tell who are be

Theatrical programs displayed in front of the Zhengyici Theater during the Spring Festival of 2002.

    The Crossroads (san cha kou)

    This is a typical wu xi, or show with martial arts. The plot is quite simple: a wu sheng (male character with martial skills), to protect a painted face, comes to a village inn. Out of misunderstanding, he has a fight with the innkeeper in the dark. The whole play consists in re-acting the fight in the dark. The stage is brightly lit, but t

A theatrical program.

  Autumn River (qiu jiang)

    This show gives ample play to dancing skills of Peking Opera. It was adapted from a Sichuan opera of the same name. But after continual

Qi Rushan, China's most important opera theorist in the 20th century, wrote more then 30 monographs on Peking Opera.

   The play has two characters only: a young nun and an old boatman. The nun wants to take the boatman's boat to run after her lover; the old boatman wants to help the nun at heart but feigns ignorance

In Peking Opera, as emphasis was placed on master-apprentice tutoring, few plays were created and passed on.

    Entering the Palace Twice (er jin gong)

    The Crossroads and Autumn River are heavy on acting but light on singing  and recitation. But in Entering the Palace Twice people can really enjoy the beauty of Peking Opera singing. It is commonly known that singing in Peking Opera is not done with a pure Beijing speech but has a distinct Hubei dialect. And this gives a special flavor to Peking Opera. Entering the Palace Twice has always been popular. No outstanding performers playing the three role types of lao sheng (old men with beard), qing yi (young female character) and hua lian (painted face) do not know how to play parts in this opera. Audiences are only too familiar with the play's plot but nevertheless watch it repeatedly to liste

Cover of a Chuqu opera titled Praying-for-wind Terrace.

   Yu Tang Chun the Courtesan (yu tang chun)

   This is one of the most popular operas and is also one where every qing yi performer gains basic skills. Courtesan Yu Tang Chun, or Su San, is falsely accused of murdering the man she had been cheated into marrying. Old policeman Chong Gong, when escorting a s hackled Su San to a distant city for trial, gets to know her true story and recognizes her as his adopted daughter. It turns out tha

Three famous sheng performers, ye Shaolan (center), Tan Yuanshou (left) and Ma Changli (right), put on The Battle of Wits.

     Drunken Beauty (gui fei zui jiu)

    This one-act play with a lot of singing and dancing is one of the classics played by Mei Lanfang, one of the greatest dan players. The story tells of an episode in the love life of Emperor Tang Xuanzong (685-762) and his beloved con cubine Yang Yuhuan. The emperor originally invited Lady Yang to a garden to see flowers but has gone to see another concubine. Lady Yang waits for the man who never turns up and drinks wine all by herself. With a heart filled with

A scene of Havoc in Heaven.

   Farewell My Concubine (ba wang bie ji)

   The story tells the tragedy of Xiang Yu, a great warrior, and his beloved concubine who lived more than 2,000 years ago. The warrior is defeated and surrounded. In the army tent, his concubine tries to lighten him up with dancing and singing before killing herself with a sw

Pi, everyday dress for Woman.

   Lady Mu Guiving Takes Command (mu gui ying gua shuai)

   The story portrays the great patriotism of an elderly lady. When her country is being invaded by an enemy force, Mu Guiying, widow of a family of generals, leads her sons at the head of an army in battling the invaders despite her old age. This is the last play designed and choreographed by Mei Lanfang. Its premiere was in 1959. The woman general as played by Mei in his sixties is dignified, valiant and heroic in bearing. The play has become one of the classics of the Mei school of performers.

    The Embroidered Pouch (suo lin hang)

    The play tells the story of how a kind- hear

A wu xi performed by a dan and a wu xiaosheng.

    Judge Bao and the Case of Qin Xianglian(qin xiang lian)

    Also known as Case of an Ungrateful Husband's Execution, the play is one of the most popular stage performances in the country. It tells the story of a man who forsakes his wife after becoming a high-ranking official. Zhang Junqiu plays the wronged wife, Ma Lianliang (1901-1966) the ungrateful husband and Qiu Shengrong Judge Bao. The play was made into a movie in 1963.

   The Princess Goes to the Northwest to Marry (zhao jun chu sai)

   This is one of the representative plays of Shang Xiaoyun and his students. The play tells the story of a princess marrying the king of the Huns, an ethnic minority people, more than 1,000 years ago for the safety of her country. The play, which is short and

A scene of The White Snake, in which Du Jinfang plays the White Snake and yu Zhenfei the young man.

    Hong Niang the Maidservant (hong niang)

   The play is based on Stor), of the West Chamber, a classic play. The heroine of the play is not the lady but her maidservant who serves as a go-between for the lady and her lover. The maid is clever, lively and warm and has a strong sense of justice. The play is one of the representative works of Xun Huisheng, who was good at playing young ladies.

   The White Snake (bai she zhuan)

   This is based on an ancient legend. Kunqu opera had long had this play. In the story, a white snake becomes a young woman and marries Xu Xian, a young pharmacist in Hangzhou. A monk is determined to destroy the white snake and her marriage. The white snake goes through all kinds of hardship to safeguard her happiness but ends up being locked up in the dungeon of a pagoda. There is acrobatic fighting on a grand scale as well as graceful dancing and melodious singing in the play.

Americans put on Judge Bao and the Case of Qin Xianglian, a traditional Peking Opera.

   Borrowing the East Wind (jie dong feng)

   The play tells the story of Zhuge Liang, a great military strategist of the Three Kingdoms period, using an accurately forecasted wind to defeat the enemy with fire. This is one of the representative works of Ma Lianliang, a well-known lao sheng (elderly male) player.

  The Empty City Ruse (kong cheng ji)

  This play, like Borrowing the East Wind, has Zhuge Liang of the Three Kingdoms period as hero. With an enemy army at the city gate and no army of his own to defend it, Zhuge Liang effects the withdrawal of enemy troops with a show of non-existent troops in ambush, a ploy based on great composure of mind and manners on his part. This is a lao sheng play in the repertoire of the Tan Xinpei School.

     When Minister Xu Ce Hears News of a Battlefield Victory (xu ce pao cheng)

The play portrays the happy excitement i of an old court minister upon hearing glad tidings about a military battle. The plot is simple, with dancing consisting of almost the entire performance. But dancing alone can never bring out the character's disposition and happy agitation. This is a representative play of Zhou Xinfang£¬ a great lao sheng player. He gives full play to his acting and singing skills when he impersonates the elderly minister.

(left) Mang robes. (right) The beautiful Wu dan.

   Judge Bao and His Sister-in-law (chi sang zhen)

   In the story, Judge Bao executes his nephew, a criminal. The judge's sister-in-law comes to Chi Sang Town to accuse him. The judge succeeds in pacifying her anger with his justifications. This is a show of the Qiu Shengrong School. Qiu was the most influential ring (painted face) actor in the 20~ century. He invented a resonant singing style for the painted face in Peking Opera and was particularly good at playing Judge Bao.

   The Wild Boar Forest (ye zhu lin)

   The play is based on The Water Margin, a classic novel about a peasant rebellion. It tells the story of Monk Lu Zhishen saving Lin Chong, a wronged general, in the Wild Boar Forest. This is a play featuring the roles offing and wu sheng (man with martial arts). When it was staged in the 1950s, Yuan Shihai, a great painted face actor, played the monk and Li Shaochun, a great wu sheng actor, played Lin Chong. Their show was made into a movie.

   Havoc in Heaven ( nao tian gong)

   Based on Pilgrimage to the West, this is the monkey play known to many audiences at home and abroad. It is also a traditional wu sheng play. It tells the story of the Monkey King challenging the autocratic and corrupt rule of the Jade Emperor, ruler of the universe. A resourceful, upright hero, the Monkey King represents the weak daring to challenge the strong. Yang Xiaolu was the first actor to successfully play the rol

A qing yi role.

   The Battle of Wits (qun ying hui)

   Based on the classic novel, A Histor3, of Three Kingdoms, the play tells of how two weaker military groups, Sun and Liu, defeat the stronger military group of Cao, by uniting their armies and resources. Characters in the play engage in a contention of wits for the interests of their own groups. This is a play where the roles of sheng (male character),jing (painted face) and chou (clown) all have a part. In the 1950s, some of the most prominent actors joined hands in performing this play to great popular acclaim. Here is the actor lineup and the characters they play:

   Tan Fuying (1906-1977) - Lu Su, a sincere and kindly minister serving Sun Quan;    Ma Lianliang - Zhuge Liang, the resourceful military strategist serving Liu Bei;   Xiao Changhua - Jiang Gan, a treacherous person from Cao Cao military group who has come to the Sun camp to induce capitulation, a clown character; Ye Shenglan - Zhou Yu, the conceited commander-in-chief of the Sun Quan army, a xiao sheng (young man) character; Qiu Shengrong - Cao Cao, the cunning head of his own army, a painted face; Yuan Shihai - Huang Gai, a veteran general of Sun Quan army, who uses the ruse of inflicting an injury on himself to win the confidence of the enemy, a painted face.

   Yang Silang Visits His Mother (si lang tan mu)

A Peking Opera playwright-cum-director should by able to perform as well as to write and direct.

   This is a classic full-length play lasting more than three hours. In the Song Dynasty, Yang Silang was captured by the State of Liao and became the son-in-law of Liao's king. Years later, a Song army led by Yang Silang's mother, She Taijun, came to a fortified city of the Liao to wage war.

In 1956 Ma Lianliang (right) and Li Yanxiu put on Yang Silang Visits His Mother in Enemy Camp to celebrate the founding of Beijing Federation of Peking Opera Workers.

 Grand Wedding in the Enemy Camp (Iong feng cheng xiang)

Based on A History of Three Kingdoms, the play tells the story of how Liu Bei goes to the enemy territory to marry his counterpart's sister, thwarting a plot to ensnare him.

   This is also a famous full- length play with a full range of roles; and many of its acts can be performed separately. In the past, no actor or actress of fame cannot play a role in the opera. Despite there beine a full ranee nf roles in the play, leading roles are sheng and dan. When Mei Lanfang and Ma Lianliang made a joint appearance on the stage, Mei's name was placed before Ma's. If Ma cooperated with other dan role players, Ma led the cast. The title of the play, meaning "Union of the Dragon and the Phoenix Presages Luck and Prosperity," is particularly auspicious and the story has a happy ending. The play is especially fit for performance during holidays such as the Spring Festival to symbolize luck. People love to watch a play with such symbolic meaning.