Beijing Opera

Introduction: 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. Artistically, Beijing Opera is perhaps the most refined form of opera in the world. It has deeply influenced the hearts of the Chinese people. Although it is called Beijing Opera, its origins are not in Beijing but in the Chinese provinces of Anhui and Hubei.
Losing Audiences: Beijing Opera was losing its audiences since traditional plays were allowed to stage after the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). One of the reason is due to the disappearance of traditional plays during the Culture Revolution. During the Cultural Revolution, 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 then Eight Model Plays used the standard Mandarin for the arias and conversations except very rare cases for rhyme. When it came to be shown again, the special pronunciation Yun Bai used in the traditional plays soon discouraged a lot of the young Chinese. Most of them are lack of relevant historical and literature knowledge due to the break down of the education systems during Culture Revolution and they did not understand the dialogues of the plays. Its simple stage design and orchestra counted another factor. A third factor is that its pace had been out of the young generation's tolerance, who had been attracted by the modern movies and concerts of romance. The theater policy was also under attack which prohibited the entrance of children under 5. The prohibition eliminated the possibility that children would unintentionally develop their interests in opera like those before.
In the urban there are a variety of entertainment's, from the computer game cities to dancing halls, karaoke music Saloon and pop music concerns. Young people nowadays are the main entertainment consumers. They are more like to go pop music nights and may not have any interest in going a Beijing Opera concert.

Famous Artists and their works:
Mei Lanfang – Farewell my Concubine
Cheng Yanqiu - Injustice to Dou'e
Shang Xiaoyun - Lady Zhaojun Going beyond the Great Wall
Xun Huisheng - Matchmaker