Depth-Introdution to Beijing Opera (Peking Opera)

Visit Liyuan Theatre Opera Show with ChinaTourGuide.com

Beijing Liyuan theatre	A stage picture of Farewell to My Concubine

Beijing Opera features its colorful costumes and significant facial paintings, which can bring you an incredible visual impact. Before watching the show, fortunately you can take a look at the make-up process of every performer. It is exciting to see it, because at the old times commonly the make-up room was set behind the stage, and the make-up process was always being kept secrets. But now you can see the whole process and acknowledge that how these performers painted themselves with colorful inks. :) Enjoy yourself with taking photos of them! If you would like, even you can have yourself photographed after you putting on the opera costumes and the awesome make-up. It isn't very interesting?!

Performers are painting their faces for the show.	The Make-up process is open to visitors.

The most wonderful charm of Beijing Opera Show is its fantastic Acrobatic fighting part, always attracting a round of applause. If you are a chinese Kungfu lovers, you can not miss the Beijing Opera Show! Actually the acrobatic fighting is regarded as the basic skills of opera artists, commonly a student of Beijing opera spends many years to practice these basic skills.

On the both sides of the stage, screens of English subtitles are set to help you to understand the performers'lines. It's believed that appreciating the opera show is a outstanding way to understand the Chinese History and Culture, for all shows aims to present ancient Chinese myths or historical stories to you. And more comfortably, you can have a taste of delicious local snacks and wonderful Chinese tea during the show!

Turly a visit to Liyuan theater can leave you a wonderful memory for your whole life.

Liyuan Theatre

Liyuan theatre is located on the ground floor of the trendy Beijing Qianmen Jianguo Hotel, enjoying a very elegant and classic environment. A huge picture of many opera images, hanging up in the hall, can definitely catch your eyes. Liyuan theatre welcomes thousands of audiences and opera lovers from all over the world every month, and it runs daily a show in the evening. With a seating capacity of 800 audiences,the theatre has three zones for audiences, including VIP tables zone, the rear downstair seating zone and upstair seating zone. In VIP zones, you can taste delicious local snacks and chinese tea while watching the show. Surly a visit to Liyuan theater would be a colorful experience in your whole life.

A Huge Opera Picture Hanging up Inside Qianmen Jianguo Hotel	Beijing Opera attracts seas of audiences every month.

Farewell to My Concubine

Warring leaders Liu Bang and Xiang Yu agreed to a truce and drew a demarcation line at Honggou. Liu's generl feigned surrender to Xiang and then successfully lured Xiang and his troops into an ambush. Xiang and his troops were surrounded and couldn't break through. When his soldiers heard their folk songs sung from the enemy, they took it for granted that their fellow soldiers had given up fighting. and their morale went down. Xiang realized that the fight was lost and indulged in his drinks in despair. He bid fatewell to his lover, Yu Ji, who danced her last dance before killing herself with a sword. Though Xiang broke through the tight encirclement and got lost, he felt ashamed of seeing his countrymen and killed himself by cutting his throat by the side of Wu River.

Stealing Silver from Government Storehouse

This is an episode of 'The Romance of the White Snake'. After Bai Suzhen (the white snake) married Xu Xian ,she asked Xiao Qing (the green snake) to steal sliver in storage of Qiantang County. Xiao Qing defeated the storehouse guards and stole the silver successfully.

Goddess of Heaven Scattering Flowers

Sakyamuni heard that Vimalakirti was sick and asked Manjuari to lead all the disciples to see Vimalakirti. and asked the goddess to scatter flowers to bring fortune to him. The goddess departed from All Fragrant Land and traveled a long distance Four Sramaneras discussed Dharma and took care of Vimalakirti,and manjuari meditated with him.Then he goddess came and scattered flowers.

The Crossroads

Jiao Zan, a senior officer of the Song Dynasty, was exiled under guard to Shamen Island, for killing a treacherous court official. Marshal Yang ordered Ren Tanghui to protect Jiao in secret. Ren and Jiao spent the night at the Crossroad Inn. Innkeeper Liu Lihua believed that Ren intended to murder Jiao,so he stole into Ren's room and fought with him in the dark. Only when the innkeeper's wife came in with a candle did the three realize the misunderstanding.

Stealing Immortal Herbs

This is an episode of 'The Romance of the White Snake'. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, Xu Xian advised his wife, Bai Suzhen (the white Snake Lady, to drink some medicated wine. At her dead drunkenness, Bai showed herself in her true colors: a white snake. At the sight of this, Xu died of fright. To revive her husband ,Bai went to the Forbidden Mountains to steal magic herbs.There she founght with the guardscrane boys and deer boys-and found the herbs she wanted and revived Xu.

Autumn River

In Song Dynasty, Scholar Pan Bizheng, nephew of the old nun, while preparing for the official test at the nunnery, became acquainted and fell in love with Chen Miaochang, a young and well-educated nun. The old nun was furious and forbade them to continue their relationship,finally forcing Pan Bizheng to leave for Linan. After hearing this, Chen ran away from the nunnery in pursuit of Pan Bizheng. By the side of the Qiujiang River, she looked anxiously for a ferry boat. She met a jocular, elderly boatman, who intentionally delayed her with tricks. At last, the boatman helped Chen Miaochang catch up with her lover.

Pick Up the Jade Bracelet

During the Ming Dynasty, a young scholar named Fu Peng admired and fell in love with Sun Yujiao,a beautiful young girl. He deliberately dropped his jade bracelet in front of Sun's house. This, however, was seen by Madam Liu, a matchmaker, who later asked Sun for an embroidered shoe as a love token, and promised to act as matchmaker for the two youths.

Eighteen Arhats Fighting Wu Kong

This play is based on the Chinese classic 'journey to the West', Sun Wu Kong wreaked havoe in Heaven and was thrown into the Eight Trigram stove of the Supreme Lord Laotse. Unespectedly,Sun Wu Kong was not burned to death under the high temperature,but instead his eyes became fiery and his pupils golden. He broke the stove and fled Heaven. The Jade Emperor then asked the help of Buddha, and Buddha led the eighteen Arhats to caprure Wu Kong. Wu Kong, using his magical powers, defeated the eighteen Arhats and returned to the Mountrain of Flower and Fruit.

Eight Immortals Crossing Sea

The eight immortals attended the birthday banquet of Queen Mother and got dead drunk. On their way home, they had to cross the raging East Sea. Each used his own skills and power to do it, which agitated the East Sea and the Fairy Goldfish. The Fairy Goldfish argued with the Eight Immortals; and the Eight Immortals felt indefensible and pretended to be drunk and fought with the Fairy Goldfish, but were defeated. They apologized to the Fairy Goldfish and then crossed the sea.