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Mulian Opera, China's oldest theatric genre which dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), is put back on stage in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, June 8, 2014. Recognized as the 'living fossil of Chinese theater,' the genre has been rarely performed since the 1950s. [Photo: Chinanews.com/Zhang Jun]
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Developed by innumerable artists, Mulian Opera boasts a grand and complex theatrical form, specific performance techniques, musical subjects, a fusion of emotions with a natural setting, and interaction between the performers and audience members.
The makeup can be divided into two types, namely, Jing, characters with painted facial makeup, including Sheng, or male characters, and Dan, female characters and Chou, the clowns. Interspersed with acrobatic performances such as flipping, kicking jugs, rope skipping, and leaping through a fire ring, the performances are always exciting and splendid.
The performances require combat and acrobatic skills, such as walking on stilts, sword dances, and fighting with spears, as well as comedy. People like these plays not because they are religious stories, but because of the complicated plots and fantastic settings, such as Heaven and Hell, in addition to the unusual characters from religious and philosophical sects. Every time Mulian Opera is played in a village, the small theater is crowded with people. The villagers say they love this opera because it's lively and exciting.
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