Peking Opera on the List of World Intangible Cultural Heritage

The fifth intergovernmental committee for UNESCO’s protection of the intangible cultural heritage was held in Nairobi， the capital city of Kenya， on November 16， 2010. During the meeting， Peking opera was listed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity with unanimous approval of all participating member countries.

As the requirement from UNESCO for the deliberation of world intangible cultural heritage is getting higher and higher， it is like a miracle that Peking opera got onto the list without objection. In an autumn 220 years ago， Beijing opera was born when what’s today known as the “Four Major Anhui Troupes” brought Anhui Opera to Beijing in 1790 for the birthday of Emperor Qianlong.

The UNESCO recognition was most rewarding to those engaged in applying Peking Opera for the heritage status. The preparations started in August 2009. Under the coordination of Beijing Municipal Administration of Culture， experts gathered together to examine all the application documentation. These experts specialized in Peking Opera and World Cultural Heritage went over these documents word by word virtually.

Peking Opera is a performance art incorporating singing， reciting， acting， martial arts. Although widely practiced throughout China， its performance centers on Beijing， Tianjin and Shanghai. Peking Operas sung and recited using primarily Beijing dialect， and its librettos are composed according to a strict set of rules that prize form and rhyme. They tell stories of history， politics， society and daily life and aspire to inform as they entertain. The music of Peking Opera plays a key role in setting the pace of the show， creating a particular atmosphere， shaping the characters， and guiding the progress of the stories.

Performance is characterized by a formulaic and symbolic style with actors and actresses following established choreography for movements of hands， eyes， torsos， and feet. Traditionally， stage settings and props are kept to a minimum. Costumes are flamboyant and the exaggerated facial make-up uses concise symbols， colors and patterns to portray characters’ personalities and social identities.

Peking Opera is regarded as an expression of the aesthetic ideal of opera in traditional Chinese society and remains a widely recognized element of the country’s cultural heritage.

Does Peking Opera’s appearance on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity means it is becoming a “Museum Art” and a heritage that needs urgent protection just like Kunqu? The answer is absolutely negative.

Peking Opera is different from Kunqu， which was listed onto the list by UNESCO in 2001. Kunqu represents the most classic Chinese classical culture， and relies mainly on protection and inheritance. It is largely a regional art. On the other side， Peking Opera is a national phenomenon. It absorbs the merits and features of many Chinese local operas and is the representative of more than three hundred local operas scattered all over China. Over decades， there have appeared a large number of Peking Opera performing artists of international and national renown and a large repertoire. Shang Changrong， a famous performing artist of Peking Opera and chairman of China Dramatists’ Association who regards Peking Opera as the common spirit of the Chinese nation， once said: “Peking Opera is a democratic art which is enjoyed by people of all social strata. It can be found in any place where Chinese live.”

In recent years， Peking Opera has attempted numerous reforms in response to the social and historical development in China. These reforms， which include improving performance quality， absorbing new performance elements， and performing new and original plays， have met with mixed success. Zhejiang Peking opera Troupe has adapted “Oedipus Rex”， an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles， into Peking opera， and the China National Peking Opera Company has put the orchestra into a new chronicle play. Together with Chinese society， this traditional Chinese artistic form is trying its best to stay relevant to the changing times.

The purpose of Peking Opera’s application for the status of UNESCO intangible cultural heritage is to expand the inheritance of this Chinese cultural heritage and keep it vigorous. In 2007， the first batch of representative masters of Peking Opera and some other local operas were appointed inheritors of national intangible cultural heritage. Since 2008， Peking Opera has been offered to youngsters in middle and primary schools in 10 provinces and municipalities such as Beijing and Shanghai. Almost in every university， there are amateur opera communities composed of Peking Opera enthusiasts. There are also hundreds of online forums and websites on the subject of Peking opera. This traditional art has entered into common people‘s lives. □