For all information, please contact:
Wieland Schulz-Keil
Neofilm GmbH
Wielandstrasse 31
10629 Berlin
Germany
E-Mail: info@beijing-opera.com
“Peking Opera is based on very old theatrical traditions. At the beginning of the 19th century four theatre troupes from An Hui came to Beijing. There the actors became familiar with the Han opera and with other much older opera styles. Using elements from these traditions they created a new form of opera.
They then presented their performances as a gift to the emperor. This is the origin of Peking Opera.”
“Peking Opera is characterized by Imagination, Abstraction and Heightening:
For us Imagination means you don't need a mountain when you talk about a mountain and you don't need a horse when you talk about a horse. Our audience will imagine a mountain or a horse when they see the actor make a certain gesture, or assume a certain posture.
Abstraction means a table on stage can signify a mountain or a river or a boat. But it can of course also simply serve as a table. And you just have to lift your foot in a certain way to indicate a threshold and the house behind it.
Heightening in Peking Opera means elucidating through amplification. A scream on stage is much more extreme than in everyday life. This amplified outburst heightens and elucidates an emotion the spectator understands from his own life.”
- Wang Peiyu in Feathered Fan and Silken Ribbon
