June 12 6月12日

Chinese Opera 京剧艺术

Chinese opera or Jingju (京剧) is one of the oldest forms of theater in the world. 京剧是全世界数一数二古老的戏剧型态，

It started hundreds of years ago. 发源于数百年前。

In a Chinese opera, people sing, act, dance and even use acrobatics to tell stories. 在京剧当中，演员藉由歌唱、演戏、舞蹈甚至是特技的方式讲述故事。

Chinese opera is very different from other kinds of drama and theater. 京剧和其他种类的戏剧及剧场表演非常不同。

In Chinese opera, everything the actors wear, say and do has special meaning. 在京剧当中，演员穿着的服装、说的台词以及做出的动作都有其特殊的意义。

If you understand the special meanings, you can appreciate the opera even more. 你如果懂得那些特殊意义，对京剧就能有更深的欣赏。

Costumes are important in Chinese opera. 戏服在京剧当中具有非常重要的地位。

The colors, patterns and styles of each costume tell a story. 每一套戏服的色彩、图案与样式都诉说着一个动人的故事。

Who are the good and bad guys in the story? Who is rich or poor? 剧中哪些人是好人或坏人，  哪些人是有钱人或穷人呢？

The costumes will tell you a lot about the characters. 戏服能够让你对剧中人物获得许多了解。

In the past, all Chinese opera roles were performed by men. 过去，京剧里不论男女的角色都是由男性饰演。

Men playing women's roles wore special shoes to help them walk like ladies. 而饰演女性角色的男性演员会穿上特殊的鞋子，帮助他们走路像女子走路一般细腻。

Today, women perform in Chinese opera. 今日，女生也上台唱京剧，

But actors still practice wearing the shoes. 但仍然要练习穿这些鞋子走路。

A character's makeup also tells us about him or her. 剧中人物的妆扮也会让我们对男女角色有所了解。

Red, yellow, white, black, purple, green and silver are the main colors used for makeup. 红、黄、白、黑、紫、绿与银色都是化妆当中使用的主要颜色，

Each color means something different. 每一种颜色都代表不同的意义。

Red makeup shows that a character is brave. 红色的化妆表示这个人物很勇敢，

Black shows that a character is honest. 黑色表示这个人物很诚实，

Blue shows that a character gets angry easily. 蓝色表示这个人物脾气易怒暴躁，

And white shows that the character is selfish or dishonest. 白色则代表这个人物自私或者奸诈。

Would you like to see a Chinese opera? 你想看京剧吗？