Although it is called Peking opera (Beijing theatre style), its origins are in the southern Anhui and eastern Hubei, which share the same dialect of Xiajiang Mandarin (Lower Yangtze Mandarin). Peking opera is generally regarded as having fully formed by 1845. The combination gradually formed Peking opera's melodies. In 1828, several famous Hubei troupes arrived in Beijing and performed jointly with Anhui troupes. It was originally staged for the court and only made available to the public later. Peking opera was born when the 'Four Great Anhui Troupes' brought Hui opera, or what is now called Huiju, in 1790 to Beijing, for the eightieth birthday of the Qianlong Emperor on 25 September. History Origins The character Sun Wukong at the Peking opera from Journey to the West The Taiwanese name for this type of opera, Guoju, or 'national drama', reflects disputes over the true seat of the Chinese government. Finally, with the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the name of the capital city was reverted to Beijing, and the formal name of this theatre in Mainland China was established as Jingju. From 1927 to 1949, when Beijing was known as Beiping, Peking opera was known as Pingxi or Pingju to reflect this change. As it increased in popularity, its name became Jingju or Jingxi, which reflected its start in the capital city ( Chinese: 京 pinyin: Jīng). The earliest Chinese name, Pihuang, was a combination of the xipi and erhuang melodies. In China, the art form has been known by many names at different times and places. "Beijing opera" is a more recent equivalent. "Peking opera" is the English term for the art form the term entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 1953. In recent years, Peking opera has responded to sagging audience numbers by attempting reforms, including improving performance quality, adapting new performance elements, shortening works, and performing new and original plays. After the Cultural Revolution, these transformations were largely undone. Traditional Peking opera was denounced as "feudalistic" and "bourgeois" during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and replaced mostly with the revolutionary operas until the period's end. The repertoire of Peking opera includes over 1,400 works, which are based on Chinese history, folklore and, increasingly, contemporary life. Melodies include arias, fixed-tune melodies and percussion patterns. The music of Peking opera can be divided into the xīpí ( 西皮) and èrhuáng ( 二黄) styles. The layers of meaning within each movement must be expressed in time with music. Performers also adhere to a variety of stylistic conventions that help audiences navigate the plot of the production. Above all else, the skill of performers is evaluated according to the beauty of their movements. They use the skills of speech, song, dance and combat in movements that are symbolic and suggestive, rather than realistic. With their elaborate and colorful costumes, performers are the only focal points on Peking opera's characteristically sparse stage. Performing troupes often have several of each variety, as well as numerous secondary and tertiary performers. Peking opera features four main role types, sheng (gentlemen), dan (women), jing (rough men), and chou (clowns). It has also spread to other regions such as the United States and Japan. The art form is also preserved in Taiwan, where it is also known as Guójù ( Chinese: 國劇 lit. Major performance troupes are based in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai. The form was extremely popular in the Qing court and has come to be regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China. It arose in Beijing in the mid- Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century. Peking opera, or Beijing opera ( Chinese: 京劇 pinyin: Jīngjù), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. "Peking Opera" in Simplified (top) and Traditional (bottom) Chinese characters
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