Beijing Opera!

Da jia hao!

The highlight of today was above all, our second culture class this trip of Beijing Opera, with Li Laoshi. We watched two clips of CCTV interviews he was in, and then he taught us to sing, and then the best part, we were able to dress up in traditional Beijing costume. It would have been great just to sing, but to actually get involved with the dress and makeup was just amazing. We were each famous characters, each with different roles. I was a goddess that descends from heaven spreading flowers and travels across the world, others were famous emperors, army generals, empresses, etc.

This is me:

The amount of preparation is really incredible, and there was an extremely efficient team. Makeup was used to create facial features that are actually exaggerated to the point of being artificial (see: my eyebrows.), all the hair you see consists of several pieces, all flowers and jewels around the front are added individually, and then the clothing is all puieced together by about three people. The downside was that everything from the neck up was tied together with many straps of cloth, so several of us were getting headaches, and actually getting a bit dizzy by the end. I can't imagine having to perform an entire opera in all the gear, especially when singing and acrobatics are added!

This is our whole class, in final dress:

One of my favorite aspects of this trip is the series of culture classes we have. We really are lucky to be able not only to learn about the subjects covered (t'ai ch'i, wushu, calligraphy, Chinese painting, Beijing Opera, etc.), but also to be taught by professionals. I have learned a great deal, and it is an opportunity we may not have again.

To the left is Li Laoshi, teaching us (or trying to, haha) to sing Beijing Opera.

Tomorrow it's off to Xi'an to see the Qin Emperor's terracotta army and a martial arts school!

I'll write later on, hi to everyone!!

Miss you!

~Robyn