Physical training included 40-minute handstands, hour-long crouches, and thousands of kicks and punches. The action megastar recalls sleeping just five hours a night, getting not enough to eat, and getting beaten for minor infractions like dropping rice on the floor.

Just ask Jackie Chan (yup, that Jackie Chan). Huiju, a variety of opera from the province of Anhui, was introduced to Beijing in 1790 when the Four Great Anhui Troupes performed for the Qianlong Emperor’s 80th birthday on Sept. While Chinese opera goes back thousands of years, Peking opera is much newer. In addition, it involves much more physical movement, from mime to dance to acrobatics. While the latter focuses on powerful and emotional singing, fluid performance, and straightforward storytelling, the former might be considered more rigid and full of broad gestures and symbols, whether via musical cues, costumes, or elaborate makeup. It’s very different from Western-style operaĬhinese opera is quite different from Western style. That’s why we’re bringing you nine fun facts about Peking opera on the day it was born. That high-pitched singing, the seemingly cacophonous music, not to mention the language barrier.īut it's also about fabulous costumes, intricate makeup, and incredible tumbling and acrobatics, and an important part of Chinese culture and history. We admit it: a night at the Peking opera may not be for everyone.

Chinese opera singers