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Bian Lian (traditional Chinese: 變臉; simplified Chinese: 变脸; pinyin: Biàn Liǎn; lit. 'Face-Changing') is an ancient Chinese dramatic art that is part of the more general Sichuan opera. Performers wear brightly colored costumes and move to quick, dramatic music.
Aggressive and frustrated character roles often have an arrow shape fading into the forehead in between the eyebrows (英雄脂; jing 1 hung 4 zi 1). Strong male characters wear "open face" (開面; hoi 1 min 4) makeup. Each character's makeup has its own distinct characteristics, with symbolic patterns and coloration.
The Wu Chou is one of the most demanding in Peking opera, because of its combination of comic acting, acrobatics, and a strong voice. Chou characters are generally amusing and likable, if a bit foolish. Their costumes range from simple for characters of lower status to elaborate, perhaps overly so, for high status characters.
An early form of Chinese drama is the Canjun Opera (參軍戲, or Adjutant Play) which originated from the Later Zhao Dynasty (319–351 AD). [10] [11] [12] In its early form, it was a simple comic drama involving only two performers, where a corrupt officer, Canjun or the adjutant, was ridiculed by a jester named Grey Hawk (蒼鶻). [10]
The Jing (simplified Chinese: 净; traditional Chinese: 淨) is a role type in Chinese opera for "rough" or "mighty" male characters. [citation needed] In many genres (such as Peking opera and Cantonese opera), this role requires heavy face painting. As a result, it is also known as Hualian ("Painted face").
The wudan (Chinese: 武旦; pinyin: wǔdàn; lit. 'martial female') is a female role type in Chinese opera and a subtype of the dan. Wudan characters are warrior maidens in combat, and wudan actors (almost always actresses) must be trained in martial arts with theatrical versions of traditional weapons, as well as in acrobatics and gymnastics.
The costumes are typically specific to a general role and a character type, but they are rarely used to represent a specific character. [7] The clothing can be divided into civil and military where the sleeves indicate if the character is civil or military. [7] [note 2] Colours are also used to indicate the role and character type. [7]
[1] [2]: 487 [3] In Chinese opera, the lingzi not only decorative purpose but are also used express thoughts, feelings, and the drama plot. [ 2 ] : 487 They are typically used on the helmets of warriors, [ 4 ] where a pair of pheasant feathers extensions are the indicators that the character is a warrior figure; the length of the feathers, on ...