Chinese Opera is one of the “three oldest dramatic art forms in the world” (travelchinaguide), together with “Greek tragicomedy and Indian Sanskrit” (travelchinaguide). Many forms of opera come from Chinese Opera, over 300 types (travelchinaguide), but the best known is Beijing Opera. Peking Opera is known by many names, such as "Oriental Opera" (ebeijing) and "jingqiang" (Xu), but the most common name in the Western world is "Peking Opera" (Wertz). Peking Opera is over 200 years old (Wertz). It all began around “1790, when four opera companies from Anhui Province came to Beijing to perform on the occasion of Emperor Qianlong's eightieth birthday” (HISTORY, Xu). It was originally performed “outdoors, in teahouses or temple courtyards” (Wertz). Peking Opera is a blend of "singing, reading, acting, fighting and dancing" (ebeijing). "Today, as in the last century, artists are trained first in acrobatics, then in singing and acting" (Wertz). he is said to be a living “encyclopedia of Chinese culture” (Wertz). For this, and many other highly valued qualities, China has made the Beijing opera its “national opera” (Wertz). Peking Opera is such an important part of Chinese culture that it has been declared “Peking Opera Month” (Wertz). Many of the classical works of the Qing Dynasty most likely could not be performed by today's actors. They consisted of “more than 24 acts; it would take years to rehearse them and several days to stage them” (HISTORY). The epic work, Shengpingcaofa, was based on the story Journey to the West, it is considered "one of the four great Chinese classical novels" (HISTORY), this work has over 240 acts (HISTORY). It is said that who ...... middle of the paper ...... still pretty much the same as many years ago, just with modern touches, such as electricity for the lighting effects and sound effects. Works Cited "HISTORY OF THE BEIJING OPERA". Beijing Opera. NP Network. 5 Dec 2013.QjCNFj-aivLinjJ_XLCXjY-j3Chm-r3A>.Np. Network. 5 Dec 2013..Np. Network. December 5, 2013. "Washington Chu Shan Chinese Opera Institute." Washington Chu Shan Chinese Opera Institute.Np, nd Web. 05 December 2013.Wertz, R.. Np. Network. December 5, 2013..Xu, Chengbei. Beijing Opera: The Performance Behind the Painted Faces. Beijing: ChinaIntercontinental, 2010. Print.