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The Meaning of Colors in Chinese Opera Masks |
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Guan Yu
Red |
Zhang Fei
Black |
Tu Xingsun
Yellow |
Lian Po
Purple |
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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). |