Character roles
A feature image of a Cantonese opera Lady Magistrate Xie Yao Huan is shown. Chinese opera is still popular, though much less compared to the 1950s and 1960s in Singapore. One interesting feature about Chinese opera performers is they literally wear their roles on their painted faces and face masks.
My grandmother taught me that a performer with a “white-nose” is a clown. Now that I have a bit more free time in my seventies, I decided to find out more. In this post, I share my discoveries.
Four main character role types
- Sheng (gentlemen)
- Dan (women)
- Jing (rough men)
- Chou (clowns).
Sheng
Sheng is the main male role in Chinese opera. There are 4 subtypes:
- Laosheng — the dignified older male. See picture above.
- Hongsheng — the red-faced older male. The only two hongsheng in Chinese opera are Guan Kong — the Chinese God of War, and Zhao Kuang-yin, the first Song Dynasaty emperor.
- Xiaosheng — the young male. He sings in a “high shrill voice with occasional breaks” [1]. His costume can be elaborate or simple. See picture above.
- Wusheng — young male with combat role. See picture above. He is highly trained in acrobatics, and has a natural voice in singing, unlike the Xiaosheng.
Dan
Dan refers to any female role in Chinese opera. There are 6 subtypes:
- Laodan — the old woman. See picture above.
- Wudan — the martial, acrobatic woman. See picture above.
- Daomadan — young female warriors. Depicted as carrying a sword and riding on a horse. Translation: Dao is sword. ma is horse.
- Zhengdan or Qingyi — virtuous and elite woman. See picture above.
- Huadan — vivacious, unmarried woman. Translation: Hua is flower.
- Huashan — a role popularised by Mei Lanfang to represent a vivacious, unmarried woman who has sensuality.
Jing
Jing refers to a rough man. He is portrayed as a painted face male. There are many facial patterns that he may wear that tell us of the character of the person. Easily recognised colour patterns are:
- Black — for brave and upright.
- White — for treacherous and cunning.
- Yellow — for brutal.
- Red — for good.
- Blue — for wild.
Three main types of Jing roles are also recognised:
- Dongchui — a loyal general with a black face who excels in singing.
- Jiazi — a complex character played by a skilled actor.
- Wujing — a martial and acrobatic character. [1]
Chou
The Chou is a male clown role. The Chou usually plays secondary roles. Chou characters are generally amusing and likeable, though maybe a bit foolish. Their costumes can be simple for characters of lower status, to elaborate for high-status characters. Chou characters wear special face paint with a small patch of white chalk around the nose. [2]
Chou roles can be divided into:
- Wen Chou — plays civilian roles like merchants, or jailers
- Wu Chou –plays minor military roles. He combines comic acting and acrobatics.
Take home messages
An understanding of the different painted faces and masks in the context of Chinese opera gives us a greater appreciation of this cultural art form. The next time we watch a Chinese opera will be a new experience and appreciation of the portrayal of the four main roles of Sheng, Dan, Jing, and Chou.
References and further reading
- Wikipedia. Peking opera. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peking_opera Accessed 11 Nov 2021.
- China Educational Tours. Chinese opera. Performers and Roles. https://www.chinaeducationaltours.com/guide/culture-peking-opera-performers-and-roles.htm Accessed 11 Nov 2021.
Acknowledgements
Grateful thanks are due to the following:
- Mr Lim Soo Ping for the feature image of this post.
- The publishers of Wikipedia for the descriptions of Chinese opera performers [1], and
- Ms Ruth Wickham, Chief Editor and Writer, and the Management of China Educational Tours for the drawings of the various performers in the Chinese opera; [2].
Dr LG Goh
Dr GOH Lee Gan is a retired Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, National University Health System. He has an interest in learning and teaching how we can age well everyday (AWE).
