The Meaning of Colors in Beijing Opera Masks

Guan Yu Red Zhang Fei Black Tu Xingsun Yellow Lian Po Purple Xia Houdun Blue Cao Cao White Zheng Lun Green Jiang Gan
Guan Yu
Red 		Zhang Fei
Black 		Tu Xingsun
Yellow 		Lian Po
Purple 		Xia Houdun
Blue 		Cao Cao
White 		Zheng Wun
Green 		Jiang Gan
Petty Painted Face
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Gold and silver colors are usually used for gods and spirits. The main color in a facial makeup symbolizes the disposition of the character. The facial makeups date a long time back to the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties at least. Simple patterns of painted faces are found in tomb murals of that age. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), improvements were made in the skills of drawing and in preparing the paints, leading to the whole set of colorful facial patterns that we see in today's Jingju (Beijing Opera).