XINGT

OU
PEKING OPERA COSTUMES ARE CALLED XINGTOU OR, MORE
POPULARLY, XIFU IN CHINESE. THE ORIGINS OF PEKING
OPERA COSTUMES CAN BE TRACED BACK TO THE MID-14TH
CENTURY, WHEN OPERATIC PRECUSORS FIRST BEGAN
EXPERIMENTING WITH LARGE ORNATE ARTICLES OF
CLOTHING.
RULES OF COSTUME TRADITION

(1)ANACHRONISM ARE ALLOWABLE. A

PERFORMERS COSTUMES PRIMARILY
DISIGNATES HIS OR HER ROLE ON THE
STAGE NO MATTER WHEN OR WHERE
THE ACTION TAKE PLACE. CHARACTERS
WHETHER THEY ARE FROM ANCIENT
TIME OR IN PRE-MODERN CHINA,
APPEAR ON THE CHINESE OPERA
STAGE WEARING COSTUMES SUITABLE
TO THEIR ROLES.
(2) REGARDLESS OF WHICH SEASON IS
BEING DEPICTED IN PERFORMANCE,
THE OPERA COSTUME IS THE SAME.
WEATHER IS DESCRIBE IN EVERY
SCENE AND MUST BE MADE CLEAR BY
THE ACTORS MOVEMENTS, RATHER
THAN HIS CLOTHING.
(3) PEKING OPERA COSTUMES MUST
ENABLE THE AUDIENCE TO
DISTINGUISH A CHARACTERS SEX
AND STATUS AT FIRST GLANCE.IN
TERMS OF SYMBOLISM,PEKING
OPERA COSTUMES HAVE ITS
SOCIAL HIERARCHY-NOBLE OR
HUMBLE,CIVILIAN OR MILITARY,
OFFICIAL OR PRIVATE CITIZENS.
(4)BY MEANS OF SUBTLE DIFFERENCE,
OPERA COSTUMES OFTEN GIVE
EXPRESSION TO SHARP DISTINCTIONS
BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL
OR,PREFERABLY ,LOYAL WICKED
CHARACTERS.OBLONG WINGS (CHIZI)
ATTACHED TO A GAUSE HAT INDICATE
LOYAL OFFICIAL . IN CONTARST, A
CORRUPT OFFICIAL IS MADE TO WEAR A
GAUZE HAT WITH RHOMBIODAL WINGS.
 (5) BALDRICS ,THROUGH APPARENTLY
OF TITTLE OR NO ACCOUNT AS
COMPARED WITH SUCH AS PRINCIPAL
ITEMS AS CROWNS AND ROBES, MAY
NEVERTHELESS FUNCTION TO BRING
ABOUT MORE DRAMATIC EFFCTS ON
THE STAGE. FOR INSTANCE, THE WINGS
ATTACHED TO A HAT, A PLUMES (LINGZI)
PINNED TO A HELMET AND THE
CASCADING SLEEVES ( SHUIXIU) SEWN
TO A GARMENT ACCENTUATE
MOVEMENT EVEN IF THEY HAVE
PRACTICAL USE.
LAVISH COSTUMES
(1) HEADRESS: DESIGNATD BY GENERAL
TERM TOUKUI, OPERA HEADRESS
COMPRISES SUCH ITEAMS AS CROWN,
HELMET HAT AND SCARF. CROWNS ARE
FOR EMPERORS AND NOBLES; MILITARY
PEOPLE WEAR MARSHALS, HELMETS
ORDINARY FOLKS WEAR SORT SCARVES
OR STRAW AT. SOME HEADGEAR, SUCH
AS CROWNS, IS RIGID. WHILE OTHERS
ARE SOFT
 (2) COSTUME: THERE ARE 20 MAJOR
KINDS OF COSTUMES INCLUDING THE
CEREMONIAL ROBE, OR MANG, THE
INFORMAL ROBE OR PEI, AND THE ARMOR
OR CAO FOR SOLDIERS TEN COLORED
ARE USED , HALF OF EACH ARE THE FIVE
PRIMARILY COLORS (OR SHANG WU SE)
NAMELY, RED,GREEN, YELLOW, WHITE
AND BLACK, IN CONTRAST TO OTHER
GROUPED OF PINK, BLUE, PURPLE, PALE-
BROWN AN PALE-BLUE, ALL OF WHICH ARE
LABELED SECONDARY COLORS (XIA WU
SE)
 (3) OPERA SHOES: A WIDE VARIETY
OF SHOES AND BOOTS ARE USEDIN
OPERA PERFORMANCE, MAINLY
FLATFORM ( HOU DI XUE), TIGER
HEADED BOOTS ( HU TOUXUE), TINE
SOLED COMBAT FOOTWARE MADE
OF BLACK SATIN ( KUAI XUE) FISH-
HEAD PUGILISTS SHOES, LACED
BOXERS SHOES, ETC.