Peking Opera, China’s national opera

　　Two orchestras, playing string and percussion instruments, accompany the singing, which follows a fixed pattern but has a variety of melodies and rhythms. The "jinghu," a small two-stringed bowed instrument, is the backbone of the orchestras.

　　The operatic dialogues and monologues are recited in Beijing dialect, and some of the words are pronounced in a special fashion, unique to the opera. www.1155815.com

　　The actors and actresses, in addition to singing, use well-established movements, such as smoothing a beard, adjusting a hat, jerking a sleeve of raising a foot, to express certain emotions and meaning.

　　The hands and body trembling all over indicates extreme anger, and the flicking of a sleeve expresses disgust. If an actor throws his hand above his head and flicks his sleeves back, he is astonished or surprised. An actor or actress demonstrates embarrassment by covering his or her face with one sleeve. 

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