The Meaning of Colors in Chinese Opera Masks


Guan Yu Guan Yu

Red

Zhang Fei Zhang Fei

Black

Tu Xingsun Tu Xingsun

Yellow

Lian Po Lian Po

Purple

Xia Houdun Xia Houdun

Blue

Cao Cao Cao Cao

White

Zheng Lun Zheng Wun

Green

Jiang Gan Jiang Gan

Petty Painted Face

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).

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