China boasts more than 300 forms of traditional opera, of which Peking Opera is the most popular.

Peking opera was evolved from the Kunqu Opera, an even more ancient art of drama. The latter was listed among the first batch of mankind's representative works of oral and nonmaterial heritage by the UNESCO in May 2001.

Peking Opera as a unique art combining singing, music, chanting, dancing and martial arts into one, took shape in the early 19th century in Beijing. In the over 200 years of performance practice, Peking Opera has developed characteristic types of meter in music and stylized movements of performers, as well as more than 1,000 routines in the repertoire.

Succeeding a group of outstanding Peking Opera actors and actresses, including Mei Lanfang, Cheng Yanqiu, Ma Lianliang, Zhou Xinfang and Du Jinfang, young artists are constantly breathing new life into Peking Opera. The emergence of young actors and actresses with beautiful, elegant stage appearances, such as Wang Rongrong and Yu Kuizhi, since the 1990s has demonstrated that Peking Opera has qualified successors.
 
Editor: Li Guixiang.