Chinese opera of the Peking variety is a difficult abstract art which synthesizes music, drama, dancing, and acrobatics along with very elaborate costumes and a minimum of props, according to traditions and customs dating back as far as the twelfth century. Very early in their training Chinese opera performers begin specializing in one of the four principal types of roles: sheng, dan,jing,mo,and chou.It should be noted that, at least theoretically, any of these character roles can be portrayed by persons of either gender. The male roles, sheng, are divided into mature, young, and militant or martial, personality, and social position ranging from common to royal. The hsiao sheng is usually a young scholar or a lover; the wu sheng, a fighting or military man; the lao sheng or hsu sheng, an aged man; the hung sheng, a red-faced aged man. The militant or martial males are skilled in the art of kung fu.

The female roles, tan, include ladies, maidens, warriors, and militant maidens. The tao ma tan is a warrior; the lao tan, an aged woman; the wu tan, an acrobatic fighter; the hua tan, a vivacious young woman or coquette; the hua shan, a beautiful young comic in a leading role; the ching i, usually a faithful wife, lover, or maiden in distress; the tsai tan, usually a shrewd and sometimes comic role. It is the tan role which is characterized by the high-pitched "squeaky" voice cultivated to attract the attention of the audience and appeal to the auditory preference of traditional Chinese gentlemen.

The painted-face roles, ching, include both singers, tung chui, and warriors, chia tzu. The cheng ching is a primarily painted-face role; the wu ching, a predominately fighting and gymnastic role; the chia tzu hua, a role in which gesture and deportment predominate; the fu ching, a vigorous villain. Various personality traits are indicated by different colors of facial paint. For example, red designates an honest, loyal, righteous, straightforward, and trustworthy character; white stands for cunning, craftiness, and scheming; black for bravery and justice; and green for cruelty, pride, violence, and toughness. The painted-face warriors are very skillful fighters.

The clown roles, chou, include both male and female characters. The male clown roles include the wen chou, who speaks perfect Mandarin and is a master of satire; the wu chou, an acrobatic expert in martial arts; and the wen wu chou, a fighting civilian. Female clowns frequently portray naive rural folk. The clown characters are easy to distinguish by a white "triangle" painted on the middle of the face. The base of this triangle covers the nose and about half of the cheekbones; the apex is the lower forehead located between the eyebrows; on the sides of the triangle and moving upward, the eyelids are partially covered with paint. The chou characters are the only ones who sing or speak in a natural voice. They are also free to make impromptu remarks, to satirize other characters, or merely to elicit laughter.