Role Types for Beijing Opera

The roles types in Beijing Opera are divided into Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, and Chou, and finally, the type Mo fell under Lao Sheng, hence the four role types: Sheng 生, Dan 旦, Jing 净, and Chou 丑.

This division of roles is because: If we classify the characters on the Beijing Opera stage according to gender, temper, dress, occupation status, performance style, they can be classified into different role types. Various roles of Beijing Opera have set make-up patterns, cosmetic appearance, and costumes according to different identities, temperaments, and personalities of the characters in the play, and the stage movements of the roles are stylized. As soon as the character shows up, the audiences can distinguish through his appearance his identity, status, character, good and evil, beauty, and ugliness.

1, Sheng 生

The role Sheng is one of the major role types of Beijing Opera, including Lao Sheng, Xiao Sheng, Wu Sheng, Hong Sheng, and Wawa Sheng. Among them, Lao Sheng is most influential, and the most notable actors, who first emerged after Beijing Opera was born, were Lao Sheng. Wu Sheng plays young and middle-aged men who are good at martial arts. Xiao Sheng plays handsome, elegant and graceful young men, not wearing an artificial beard. Hong Sheng is the role painted red, and the role who usually plays Guan Yu the loyal general of the State of Shu-Han in the Three Kingdoms is also called Hong Sheng. Wawa Sheng is the role who especially plays the children, portraying the children's innocence, brilliance and, naughtiness, and is generally played by the child, or also often played by a small actress with a clear voice.

Now let's get to understand Lao Sheng from which quite a number of outstanding actors come forward.

Lao Sheng is the middle-aged or senior man on the Beijing Opera stage and is also called bearded man because he wears a beard. Lao Sheng mostly plays those resolute, honest middle-aged or older positive characters, but also some characters with bad quality or faultiness, like Chen Shimei in "Executing Chen Shimei" who is devoid of gratitude to kill his wife and son.

Lao Sheng sings and speaks with the true voice (throat), and basically wears a three-wisped beard. According to the different characteristics of performance, Lao Sheng can also be divided into singing Lao Sheng, acting Lao Sheng and warrior Lao Sheng.

1.1. Singing Lao Sheng 唱工老生

The singing Lao Sheng mainly focuses on singing, and mostly plays such characters as emperors, civilian officials, and literati, whose temperaments are refined and elegant, and whose movements are dignified and composed, like Zhuge Liang in the Beijing Opera "Ruse of the Empty City", who is the Prime Minister of the State Shu-Han in the period of the Three Kingdoms.

In 228 AD, because Zhuge Liang the Prime Minister of the State Shu-Han misused Ma Su and lost the strategic fortress - Jieting, Sima Yi of the Army Wei took the opportunity to lead an army of 150,000 soldiers to swarm forward to Zhuge Liang’s West City. At that time, Zhuge Liang does not have any general at his side except for a group of civilian officials, and half of the army of 5000 soldiers led by him has gone to transport the food and grass, with only 2,500 soldiers being left in the city. Zhuge Liang tactfully applies the ruse of the empty city, by sitting steadily in front of the watchtower and playing the lute on the city wall. Arriving at the city and seeing this momentum, the spearhead of Sima Yi’s army does not dare to enter the city and hastily goes back to report to Sima Yi. Sima Zhao the second son of Sima Yi says: "Is it possible that Zhuge Liang has no soldiers at home and deliberately pretends the way?” Sima Yi says: "Zhuge Liang is cautious all the time, and never takes a risk. Now all the city gates are open, and there must be an ambush. If our army goes inside, we will fall right into their trap. Let's retreat quickly!" So all the troops are back, and the ruse of the empty city becomes a story on everybody's lips and is praised eternally.

The following are the lyrics in the Beijing Opera "Ruse of the Empty City", and foreign friends might as well have a look at the grace and wisdom of the representative singing Lao Sheng - Zhuge Liang, who waves the plume fan and wears the black silk ribbon scarf on his head.

Ruse of the Empty City - 空城计

诸葛亮 (Zhuge Liang )：

我正在城搂观山景，耳听得城外乱纷纷。

I am on the city wall enjoying the mountainous view, and hear the chaos outside of the city.

旌旗招展空翻影，却原来是司马发来的兵。

Flags are fluttering all the way, there comes Sima's army.

我也曾命人去打听，打听得司马领兵往西行。

I ever sent someone to inquire around, and was reported that Sima was leading his army to go west.

一来是马谡无谋少才能，二来是将帅不和失街亭。

Because Ma Su has no ruse and capability, and because the marshal and the general did not get along well so that Jie ting was lost.

连得三城多侥幸，贪而无厌你又夺我的西城。

You are lucky to have conquered the three cities in succession, and now you intend to seize my West City, how greedy you are!

诸葛亮在敌搂把驾等，等候你到此谈哪、谈、谈心。

Zhuge Liang is waiting for you on the tower and wants to talk with you.

西城外街道打扫净，准备着司马好屯兵。

The streets outside of West City arc swept and cleaned up, and get reach for Sima to station his troops.

我诸葛并无有别的敬，早预备下羊羔美酒犒赏你的三军。

I make no arrangements but lambs and fine wines to accommodate your troops.

你到此就该把城进，为什么你犹疑不定、进退两难，所为的何情？

Since you are here, you should go inside the city. However, you are hesitant and in a dilemma，why?

我只有琴童人两个，我是又无有埋伏又无有兵。

I have neither an ambush nor the soldiers except for two lute attendants.

你莫要胡思乱想心不定。

You do not have to think too much and feel uneasy.

你就来来来，请上城楼听我抚琴。

Come on to my city tower and listen to my playing the lute.

司马懿 (Sima Yi)：

左思右想心不定，城内必有埋伏兵。

I think over and over but can't make up my minds, as there must be an ambush in the city.

1.2 Acting Lao Sheng 做工老生

The acting Lao Sheng who attaches equal importance to singing, recitative, and acting, but gives priority to acting, is also known as the acting style Lao Sheng, or the decaying style Lao Sheng, playing the characters whose lives and the environment are affected by external factors so that they are in a state of utter poverty or mentally dejected, like Song Jiang in the Beijing Opera "Zuolou and Killing Xi". Song Jiang is frustrated throughout his life, and drags out an ignoble existence. He is the typical representative of decaying Lao Sheng of Beijing Opera.

1.3 Warrior Lao Sheng 武老生

Warrior Lao Sheng is of both literary and military capability, mostly plays the senior general, and lays equal importance on singing, recitative, acting, and acrobatic fighting. It requires to sing boldly and vigorously, pay attention to the character modeling, and focuses on embodying the character's heroic bearing and fearless spirit, for example, in the Beijing Opera "Dingjun Mountain", Huang Zhong the general dispatched by Zhuge Liang the Prime Minister of the Shu-Han State, kills Xia Houyuan the famous general under Cao Cao’s command in the Dingjun mountain battle, and is conferred as the Hou general after Liu Bei proclaims himself the Hanzhong king. Huang Zhong is also the synonym of the vigorous old man in China.

2, Dan 旦

Dan of Beijing Opera plays the female role of various age, different personality, and different status, and can be divided into Zheng Dan, Hua Dan, Hua Dan, Daoma Dan, Wu Dan, Hua Shan, Lao Dan, Cai Dan, and Ugly woman, etc.

2.1 Zheng Dan (Chief Dan) 正旦

Zheng Dan, also known as Qingyi (demure woman), primarily plays a decent young or middle-aged woman, and gets its name because the character mainly wears black Xuezi dress with blue or bright moon ornament trimming but no decorative pattern. Qingyi is elegant, gentle, dignified and sedate, and stresses singing. She sings and recites in falsetto to demonstrate the Chinese traditional women's dignity and peace. The age of the character Qingyi plays ranges significantly from 16 years old to 50 years old.

They are mainly girls and young woman, faithful wives and loving mothers and chaste women. A typical Qingyi is of a bitter look, for example, Qin Xianglian in the Beijing Opera "Executing Chen Shimei" is abandoned by her husband Chen Shimei who goes to Beijing to take the imperial exam and wins the first place, and suddenly becomes the royal son-in-law (the princess's husband). So, when we see a Dan with a bitter look, most likely she is a Zheng Dan.

2.2 Hua Dan (Vivacious Woman) 花旦

Hua Dan plays the young woman dressed seductively who is charming and pretty or shrewish and dissolute. Hua Dan is mostly painted heavily with bright colors, wears seductive costumes and head ornaments, and mainly performs speaking and recitative, stressing the character's beauty, and unrestrained and lively disposition. Huadan plays characters from the princess and general down to the farm woman, village woman, daughter of a humble family and prostitutes, either positive characters or negative characters.

Hua Dan can, according to her disposition, be divided into Xiao Dan (young maiden), Guimen Dan (unmarried young woman), Shrewish Dan. Assassination Dan, and Comic Dan. Next, let's particularly introduce Guimen Dan and Assassination Dan.

2.2.1 Guimen Dan (Unmarried Young Woman) 闺门旦

Guimen Dan is different from Zheng Dan and is the young maiden who still lives with her mother and is not married, either the daughter of the officials and aristocratic family, or the girl of a poor and ordinary family, wearing plain, simple and elegant clothing, and mainly focusing on recitative and acting, like Lin Daiyu in the Beijing Opera "The Dream of Red Mansions", whose parents are dead, and the family situation is declining year after year. Because of the boards in the Jia Mansion, she slowly forms a sensitive, fragile, always melancholy and moody personality, and also an elegant and refined character.

Lin Daiyu often alone buries the fallen flowers under the trees. The following is a section of lyrics sung by Lin Daiyu from the Beijing Opera "The Dream of Red Mamions", from which the foreign friends can finely savor the infinite sadness from the deep heart of this classic Guimen Dan.

Lin Daiyu Buries Fallen Flowers - 黛玉葬花

花谢花飞飞满天，红销香断有谁怜？

Flowers wither and fly in the sky, but who takes pity on the fading beauty and missing fragrance?

离潇湘出绣帏来把花葬，千重仇万重恨忧怀自伤。

Leaving from Xiaoxiang garden and getting out of the embroidered curtains to bury the flowers, I have thousands of hatreds and ten thousands of hate and worries in my heart.

把花锄偷洒泪矣，心酸难禁，谁怜我似落花身世凄凉？

Holding the flower hoe and secretly shedding tears, I am so sorrowful, but who would sympathize with the fate of me as desolate as the fallen flowers?

而今死去侬收葬，未博侬身何日丧。

Now you die, and I bury you, but I do not when I die.

质本洁来还洁去，不叫污浊陷沟渠。

You shall be as clean as you are originally, and I would not let you go down the dirty ditches.

但愿今日生双翅，随花飞到天尽头，何处有香丘？

I wish I would have wings today, to fly with the flowers to the end of the sky, but where is the fragrance grave?

可有惜花人，肯把艳骨收，独把花锄葬落花，一杯净土掩风流。

However, is there a person who cherishes the flowers and would like to collect the colorful bone, and hold the hoe and bury the fallen flowers in the garden alone. A handful of pure earth covers beauty.

2.2.2 Assassination Dan 刺杀旦

Assassination Dan plays the poisonous and vicious woman, and who focuses on recitative and acting, for example, Xue Yan in the Beijing Opera "Examining the Head and Assassinating Tang". In the Ming Dynasty, a young man named Tang Qin admires Xue Yan the concubine of his benefactor Mo Huaigu, and frames his benefactor so as to have the concubine, resulting in that Mo Huaigu is arrested and convicted guilty by the government.

Mo Cheng the servant of Mo Huaigu dies in place for Mo Huaigu, but Tang Qin would even examine the head of the corpse. Judge Lu Bing notices Xue Yan’s hint and sees through Tang Qin's intention to get Xue Yan, so he pretends to award Xue Yan to Tang Qin, while secretly inciting Xue Yan to assassinate Tang Qin. Xue Yan in the bridal chamber fuddles Tang Qin, and stabs Tang Qin to death, but commits suicide in the end. Compared with Shrewish Dan. Assassination Dan has, in addition to sensuality, a bit more viciousness and a few cold murderous looks.

2.3 Daoma Dan and Warrior Dan 刀马旦和武旦

Both Daoma Dan and Warrior Dan are female roles who play vigorous, agile women with both classical beauty and superb martial arts. Wu Dan stresses falling, jumping, turning and fighting, and particularly focuses on performing the agility and the intrepidity of the character. Daoma Dan is good at Bazi dancing (dancing with weapons in hand), and pays attention to body movement and posture, who generally rides a horse, brandishes a broadsword, and sings a large segment of the opera, for example in the Beijing Opera "Muke Village", Mu Guiying joins joins the army in place of her father, is valiant and heroic, and is not inferior to a man.

2.4 Hua Shan 花衫

Hua Shan merges both Hua Dan and Qing Yi absorbs the performing characteristics of Daoma Dan allocates equal importance to singing, recitative, acting, and acrobatic fighting. Most plays compiled and performed by the "Four Great Dans" of Beijing Opera are plays of Hua Shan, for example, in the Beijing Opera "The Drunken Beauty", Yang Guifei prepares a banquet in Baihua Pavilion waiting for the Emperor Tang Xuanzong to come, but after a long time there comes the news - the emperor has rested in the palace of another concubine, so Yang Guifei indulges herself by drinking wines so as to discharge her unbearable boredom and sadness, making all sorts of drunkenness in front of the eunuch.

2.5 Lao Dan 老旦

Lao Dan is the role who plays the aged woman, expresses her rusticity and steadiness, and sings and recites with her true voice. Lao Dan portrays various characters such as the queen, mother of the country, the wife of the prime minister or the minister, and the civilian people, as well as the old nun or old Taoist nun. For example, in the Beijing Opera "The Woman Generals of the Yang Family", She Taijun organizes the male and female servants to practice the martial arts in the Yang Mansion, and the fighting skill and intrepidity of the servants are no less then those of the soldiers at the frontier.

2.6 Cai Dan and Ugly Woman 彩旦和丑婆

Cai Dan (comic woman) and Ugly Woman plays the funny, humorous or cunning, fierce females, whose performances or make-ups are very exaggerated. The young female is called Cai Dan. for example, in the Beijing Opera "The Phoenix Returns to Its Nest", Cheng Xueyan looks ugly, and her mother tries to perpetrate a fraud by marrying Cheng Xueyan to a good husband, but tails in the end.

3, Jing (Painted Face) 净

The Jing type role generally plays a male character with a strong personality and prominent appearance, either civil or military, young or old, or rich or poor. Because he has to draw facial make-ups on the face, he is also known as Hualian the painted face.

The Jing type role can be divided into three categories: Tongchui Hualian (bronze hammer painted face), Jiazi Hualian and Wu Jing (military painted face).

3.1 Tongchui Hualian 铜锤花脸

Tongchui Hualian mainly sings, and often plays characters with high identity and status, such as the senior ministers of the imperial court and the loyal and gallant senior generals, whose artistic styles are resolute and forceful. Tongchui Hualian has so named Xu Yanzhao in the Beijing Opera “Enter the Palace for the Second Time” always holds the bronze hammer that the Emperor awarded to his grandfather. In the play Xu Yanzhao mainly sings, so Tongchui Hualian is also called the singing Hualian.

3.2 Jiazi Hualian 架子花脸

Jiazi Hualian primarily focuses on acting and plays a variety of characters such as the emperor, king, minister and general, the forest heroes, venders, and soldiers. Jiazi Hualian emphasizes body movements and postures and is unique in singing, recitative, and acting. Most of its characters are valiant, forthright and imprudent, such as Zhang Fei the general of the Shu-Han State in the period of the Three Kingdoms. Some sinister, cunning, cruel, hypocritical characters such as Cao Cao are also played by Jiazi Hualian.

3.3 Wu Jing 武净

Wu Jing mainly focuses on martial arts, mostly plays a fierce, tough warrior or the immortals or monsters of a fairy tale, and is good at turning and falling of martial arts. Wu Jing is also called Wu Hualian (military painted face).

Wu Hualian, who sings and recites not much, but fights once it appears. For example, in the Beijing Opera “The Golden Beach”, Yang Qilang the 7th son of Yang Ye the famous general of the Northern Song Dynasty is very tall and strong, a bit testy, and significantly brave. On the Golden Beach, the armies of Song and Liao confronts each other. The army of the Yang family struggles against the enemy, while suddenly the army of Liao State surges. Discovering the change of the situation of the enemy, Yang Ye immediately orders his army to breakthrough through the two sides and sends Yang Qilang to rush out of the tight encirclement to look for Pan Renmei the commander in chief to dispatch the reinforcements for help.

The Liao soldiers attack again, and Yang Ye refuses to be arrested and insulted, by knocking himself to death in front of the tomb of Li Ling. Eventually, the whole army is wiped out. While Yang Qilang breaks through the siege of the strong enemy and sees Pan Renmei the commander in chief at Yanmen pass to seek reinforcements, but Pan Renmei ties Yang Qilang up and orders the soldiers to kill Yang Qilang by launching arrows at him. People lament that Yang Qilang makes great contributions before the powerful troops, and finally sees the reinforcements after killing countless enemies, but eventually dies under such a tragic situation.

4, Chou (Clown) 丑

The Chou type role plays the humorous, funny characters in Beijing Opera, who can be figures of various types and identities. The Chou role can make all manners of quips and jokes in or out of the drama, with strong comedy effect, known as the "spices". Based on different temperaments and identities of the characters, the Chou type role can be sub-divided into two categories: Wen Chou (civilian clown) and Wu Chou (acrobatic fighting clown).

4.1 Wen Chou 文丑

Wen Chou is the clown who does not practice martial arts, and is sharp-witted, lively, funny.

Fangjin Chou is one of Wen Chou (clown wearing a scarf on his head). Fangjin Chou is so named because he wears a scarf on his head, and mostly plays such comic characters as scholars, counselors, scribes, and teachers. These people are gentle outside, but pedantry inside, and walk one step with three shakes, full of literati's aloofness, like Jiang Gan in the Beijing Opera “The Meeting of Heroes”. In the period of the Three Kingdoms, Zhou Yu the general of the East Wu State always wants to get rid of Cai Mao and Zhang Yun the two navy governors of Cao Cao, when Jiang Gan crosses over the river. Zhou Yu deliberately lets Jiang Gan steal the fake secret letter written by Cai and Zhang to him which is actually forged by him in the name of Cai and Zhang, so that Cao Cao mistakenly kills the two generals.

While Zhou Yu is pondering how to let the personage Pang Tong safely cross the river, and make Cao Cao not suspicious. Jiang Gan arrives again. Zhou Yu applies a trick so that Jiang Gan introduces Pang Tong to Cao Cao. Cao Cao easily believes the interlocking stratagem contributed by Pang Tong and incurs a huge loss of the war. Although Jiang Gan is full of knowledge, he does not use it to the right point, and finally, he ruins the army of the Cao Wei State. The performance of the Beijing Opera clown Jiang Gan not only makes people uproarious, but also deeply arouses people to introspect that how much knowledge a person has is one thing, and how a person handles things is another thing.

4.2 Wu Chou 武丑

Wu Chou is the clown who is good at acrobatic fighting, mostly playing a warrior or righteous man with a witty and humorous disposition, and also playing a few rogue, bully images. For example, Shi Qian in the opera “Shi Qian Steals the Chicken” lodges in the inn of a Zhu family, and finds out that the inn has the wine but no meat, then he steals and kills the crowing cock. When performing the scene of eating the chicken, the actor usually uses the paper for chicken, by swallowing and spitting the fire and smoke. It is superb, and the audience is amazed.

Division of the roles of Beijing Opera is adequate enough to show the maturity of Beijing Opera. Of course, the boundaries of the role division are not so strict. An actor of a special type can also play other role types, and such an actor is a versatile actor so-called by the audience. A play is often performed by several role types, and a large play has many roles and various role types.

Dear foreign friends, after studying the role types of Sheng, Dan, Jing, and Chou in Beijing Opera, aren't you impressed by the broad and profound Chinese culture? The division of Beijing Opera role types can help the audience fully understand the different roles in the play, and can also further comprehend benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith of the traditional Chinese culture.

List of plays or operas with Chinese:

1. Executing Chen Shimei - 铡美案
2. Ruse of the Empty City - 空城计
3. Zuolou and Killing Xi - 坐楼杀惜
4. Dingjun Mountain - 定军山
5. The Dream of Red Mansions - 红楼梦
6. Lin Daiyu Buries Fallen Flowers - 黛玉葬花
7. Examining the Head and Assassinating Tang - 审头刺汤
8. Muke Village - 穆柯寨
9. The Drunken Beauty - 贵妃醉酒
10. The Woman Generals of the Yang Family - 杨门女将
11. The Phoenix Returns to Its Nest - 凤还巢
12. Enter the Palace for the Second Time -  二进宫
13. The Golden Beach - 金沙滩
14. The Meeting of Heroes - 群英会
15. Shi Qian Steals the Chicken - 时迁偷鸡