Craftsmanship on stage
two large curves (the Double Willow Curve), or in five, sometimes seven bands. The perfect oval of the face is enhanced by the lateral hair bands, fluctuating in the air as the actress moves on the stage. The pins that embellish the hairstyle of a Dan, or Tou Mian, can be divided into three categories: silver pins are mainly used for roles of widows or poor ladies; diamante pins, made of crystals, are for young and pretty girls; the most luxurious Kingfisher pins are for aristocratic ladies. Antique Kingfisher pins were made of turquoise feathers from kingfisher birds; the modern versions are realised using bluish-green satin fabric or enamel. Each of these creations is made of 50 pins of various types and completed by flowers: red for happiness, white for sadness and sorrow. The headgears on a Dan may also include helmets of great effect, like the ones known as Butterfly and Seven-stars. Phoenix decorations, pearl fringes and silk tassels are the graceful notes on the Crown of the Five Phoenix, used for queens and princesses; a jade crown was specially designed by Mei Lan Fang, one of the last great maestros of the Beijing Opera, for the role of Concubine Yu in Farewell, my concubine!. Men’s shimmering helmets are as eye-catching and carefully crafted as the ladies’ ones. If the Xue Shi hat is one of the most famous (created in embroidered satin, or in plain satin with golden trimmings, with jade wings and two ribbons on the back) and is used for the role of the scholar, heroes wear the Hua Lao, always in satin but with decorations and patterns matching the character’s colours and costumes. Princes wear the Zi Jing, the imperial crown enriched with pearls and dragon-shaped medals. And finally, the costumes: each of them is lavishly decorated, entirely embroidered and extremely expensive. They can be divided into four categories: the so-called big coats, like the Mang robe (decorated with images of dragons or waves) worn by the royal family, concubines, ministers and scholars, often in the so-called upper five colours (imperial yellow, China red, green, white, black). Pei and Zhe are daily robes, less formal. The robes for warriors and wrestlers include the spectacular
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Kao, armour for the generals, and the more graceful Gai Liang Kao, always beautifully decorated. The third category comprises shoes, boots and all the undergarments. And finally, accessories: among them, one of the most poetic is the Yun Jian, the cape of clouds. Originally from the Han tribe in China, it is made of silk satin brocade and fully embroidered with happy and lucky images like bats (luck), deer (fortune), peaches, cranes, turtles (longevity), jades, peonies, clouds, butterflies, birds. The embroidery technique with which each cape is realised is very refined, and concurs to make the final product a masterpiece of Chinese needlework. Every night on the stage, colours, decorative elements, time-honoured techniques, manual talent and artistic vision blend in, to create a vision which, like the legendary phoenix, continually dies when the curtains fold, and is born again when the curtains are drawn, to reveal the quintessence of Chinese culture.
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EMBELLISHED HAIRSTYLES Every character wears a specific costume, which also includes accessories. Pins (above) embellished with crystals (also made by hand) are typical of aristocratic roles. Diamante pins are normally worn by young and pretty girls.
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