Face Painting in Beijing Opera

The actors usually draw bat, swallow or butterfly wings around their cheeks and eyebrows.  They use different colors to paint their faces. 

The colors selected for actors represents character's personality.  It gives the audience hints about kind of person the character is.   This color reference table can give you the idea of the relationship between each color and the character's personality. 

Color Table for Face Painting in Beijing Opera

Did you guess correctly?  When you visit Beijing and attend the performance of Beijing Opera, don't forget to bring this table.  I bet you can pick on those bad guys in the play right as they show up.  Good Luck! 

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