Beijing Part IV: Beijing Opera

I have chosen to talk about the Beijing Opera last because I hate it.  There is no delicate way of saying it; I hate Beijing Opera. I mean, I am not a fan of other operas (one music listening class in college was enough to teach me that), so I don't really know why I thought I would enjoy this....which might lead you to the question: well, if you didn't think you'd like it, why'd you go in the first place?

And I think we all know the answer to that question.  I wanted to be all cultural and traveled and profound and stuff.  There is a wonderful and rich tradition behind Chinese opera and it's all very interesting. This is a tradition that is starting to fade in China, and the Chinese are struggling find those interested in preserving this tradition, and I do believe that it would be a loss to Chinese culture if it were to be forgotten. However, that does not make me like the sound of Beijing Opera any better and an hour or more of it was pure torture. Pure, unadulterated, aural torture.

My second trip to Beijing occurred in the summer, when a friend of mine came to visit from home, Becky. She got to be the lucky one who went to Beijing Opera.  I didn't ever drag anyone else through this experience again, having absolutely no desire to hear it myself.   We talked to our hostel about opera venues, and the hostel had an arrangement with a local theater.  So the hostel set everything up for us and told us when we would be picked up and taken to the opera.  I would definitely recommend hostels as places to stay; they are cheap, clean, and safe.

We arrived at the theater and were seated in the balcony--hey, it was a hostel, so our seats were not great, that's what your zoom on your camera is for.  Plus, with the exception of the face paint, the whole point of opera is the sound.  The unique and very distinctive sound.

The costumes and the face paint are beautiful, of that there is no question.  The amount of work, training, and dedication that goes into becoming a Beijing Opera performer is both impressive and praiseworthy.  Beijing Opera, however, is just not my thing.  But hey, don't take my opinion on it; check out the video below and form your own opinion.

Despite Beijing Opera (and other kinds of opera) not being my particular cup of tea, if you find yourself with some free time in Beijing, I would recommend seeing it; it is unique, you can't find it too many other places, and it is cultural and stuff.  I will probably continue going to operas and stuff, even if I am pretty sure I am not going to like it, because you should do these things when you travel, and if I had cut out opera all together, I would have missed Sichuan Opera.  If you ever get the chance to see Sichuan Opera, definitely do that, because that is really freaking cool.