My First Experience of Chinese Opera by Irene Whitman

Chinese Opera is a truly original style of musical performance. I went on a trip to Shanghai last year. I stayed with my Chinese friend Mai-Le. She introduced me to a truly amazing experience when she took me to watch a Chinese opera.

This art form has an incredibly long history in China. In ancient times, temporary stages were put up in the streets and actors performed the operas with only hanging lanterns for lighting. It’s amazing to think that such wonderful art began like that!

We took our seats in the theatre just before the curtain rose. The actors came out in their beautiful, colourful costumes. In the days of the street shows, the actors used to wear bright colours to stand out in the dark and the costumes haven’t really changed since then.

The singing was very sharp and high-pitched. I found it quite strange. Just like the costumes, the singing style was also ancient. In the past, the street performers sang that way so their voices could reach the people at the back of the crowd.

The name of the opera that we watched was ‘Lady White Snake’. It is a classic Chinese folktale. In the story, a white snake becomes a beautiful girl who then falls in love with a man. There wasn’t only singing in this show, there was also incredible dancing and acrobatics too. The actors used their bodies as well as their faces to act out the story and show their feelings. Opera actors train extremely hard at opera schools from around the age of 7 or 8. There weren’t many stage props or scenery because symbolism is used a lot to help tell the story. If an actor wants to show that they are riding a horse they, they gallop around the stage with a whip in their hand, for example.

I thought the make-up on the actors was wonderful: each colour has a different meaning and shows something about their character; red is for loyalty and bravery, black is for a warrior or a wild character, blue is for cruelty, and gold and silver show mystery. The best bit for me was to see them all on stage at the end together in their bright costumes and make-up. I never imagined that I would enjoy a Chinese opera, but I am happy to say that it is now one of my favourite things to watch!