The props used in Chinese opera are very simple and relatively few in number. The intent is to suggest rather than depict. For example, an oar can represent a boat; banners can suggest billowing waves; a whip can represent a horse. Tables and chairs constitute multipurpose movable scenery for representing many different things. Indoor scenes are enhanced by the use of colorful carpets. The Fu Hsing Academy's brochure states: "The stage of Chinese opera is outfitted by the imagination of the audience."

　　The music relies mainly on already existing melodies, many from folk songs, to which the playwright adds fitting lyrics. The basic unit of the aria consists of two poetic lines or sentences with either seven or 10 Chinese characters each. The first line must end with a rising-tone character; the second, with a level tone. The number of couplets is dictated by the plot, as is the number of arias per scene. The singers are trained to sing "from the abdomen" and practice by placing three fingers below the belt (to feel the vibrations?). Nowadays the lyrics to the arias are displayed on screens situated on the main floor of the theater, one on each side of the stage.