What is the feature of the character roles of the traditional opera？
2 min readCharacter roles in traditional opera are generally divided into four main typesaccording to the sex，age，social status and profession of the character.They are sheng，dan，jing and chou.
Sheng refers to male roles.These can be subdivided into different types，including zhengsheng，xiaosheng and wusheng.Zhengsheng refers to a bearded，middle-aged or elderly man who plays the part of a positive character；xiaosheng refers to a young man whose gesture is unrestrained and footwork brisk；wusheng is a military general between 30 and 55 years old.
Dan refers to female roles.These can be subdivided into the following different types:laodan，qingyi，huadan and wudan. Laodan refers to an old woman.Qingyi refers to a refined young or middle-aged woman，wh is often in a dark pleated skirt and is portrayed as a positive character.Huadan refers to a girl or young woman in a jacket and pants.She appears shrewish or active.During the performance，she speaks more and sings less.Wudan refers to woman with martial skills.This character mainly shows her martial skills rather than singing or talking.
Jing refers to roles with painted faces.Jing or hualian（painted faces）refers to male roles that have a frank personality and unrestrained movement.Their facial makeup is multi-colored Chou，or clown，is a comic character which can be recognized at first sight for his special makeup（a patch of white paint on his nose）.Chou is the main role in a comedy or a satirical opera.It can be subdivided into wenchou（male clowns），wuchou（clowns with martial skills）and danchou（female clowns）.They mainly play the part of positive characters.But sometimes they also act as negative characters.
