Leslie Cheung in movie Farewell, My Concubine (Ba wang bie ji, Chen Kaige, China/Hong Kong 1993, 157 min., 35mm, Mandarin w/subtitles)
This photo as my first photo found on the internet is a photo from movie in 1993 which is famous. How men acted as a female character in Peking Opera is mentioned in this movie. I think it’s good to start with this photo and combine with the fact I read in the book which talked about history and how males were in this area in the past.
Mei Baojiu (left in picture and inset) and Mei Lanfang (1894-1961, right), at Great Hall of the People, west of Tian’anmen Square. Photograph. China Daily.
These two characters are both acted by male. They are relations which are famous in the Peking Opera history. I read the part of how a huge relation created a genre of opera and the cultural heritage over hundreds years. I think this picture is great to be looked besides reading all those information.
Chinese opera costumes exhibited in Shanghai, a visitor views costumes worn in opera performance during an exhibition in Shanghai, east China. Sept. 4, 2013. Digital Photograph by Xinhua/Yuan Jing. Ecns.cn.
Nowadays people put Opera Costumes from past as art pieces and still see them as important parts of culture. I’d love to discover how these things were in the past (for example, the social level) and how they are at now. More information of the comparison between them can be found in the reading.
Farewell My Concubine. In Huguang Guild Hall. 2001. Photograph by Ian Sewell.
Farewell My Concubine is a classical opera which is seen a lot in Peking Opera. The film of first photo is using the same name. In this picture, it shows the stage of nowadays, which I think can be compared with the ancient stages described in the readings.
Summer Palace Opera Stage. May 2004. Photograph by Richard Chambers.
This Chinese Opera Stage in Summer Palace was an ancient place to play opera especially for royal households. I think it can be an example of the status of entertainment during that time. It can be useful information to see together with description of history of Peking Opera.
