Beijing opera witnessed the prosperity as well as the depression of Chinese nationality over the past several centuries. Each and every element in the stage, from affluence to poverty, from great men to ordinary people, all represent the spirit essence of the nation.

As its heyday is elapsing, Beijing opera at present is confronted with the predicament that many people think it’s too elegant to be appreciated. However, where there is life, there is art. We still need Beijing opera which brings us a magnificent beauty accumulated in the twists and turns of the history.

Therefore, this is not so much a record as Chinese nationality’s emotional embodiment carried on from generation to generation. The five main characters, the male lead, the female lead, the painted face, the middle-aged male, and clown, have always been reproducing historical events in stages and will keep doing so everlastingly.

（NetEase Cloud Music）

Who are the dreamers who continue to perform our ancient stories on the stage? We invite you discover the quintessence of Chinese culture performed by eleven of the greatest living Beijing Opera performers.

To capture the true essence of how Beijing Opera was originally performed, producer Ye Yunchuan and his team recorded in Zhengyici Opera Theater, selecting the most beautiful arias and scenes from the vast repertoire of this unique art form.

Above all else, Chinese Opera tells us stories that have been handed down for generations – tales of heroes and beauties, tyrants and assassins, scholars and fools. It is the hope of everyone that participated in the making of this very special album that we succeeded in capturing at least some small part of the essence of this profound tradition, and proudly present for your enjoyment, representative arias representing the four major role types of Chinese Opera, or Xiqu: Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou.

Each of these four role types and their variations evolved from the conventions of Chinese theater, and each calls for specific skills and involve a very stylized performance techniques.  

In order to authentically bring the glamor and magic of these songs to life again, Rhymoi Music requested permission to record inside the Zhengyi Temple Theatre, a 300 old opera house, first established during the reign of Emperor Kangxi in 1688. Producer Ye Yunchuan, together with China's preeminent sound engineer Li Dakang and his team, worked closely with the deputy secretary general of the China Mei Lanfang Cultural Art Research Association and distinguished opera scholar, Prof. Chi Chun. Listeners new to the colorful world of Chinese opera will find this recording an excellent introduction to the essence of this complex and varied performing art. You will hear a variety of different tempos and rhythms that have come to characterize classical Chinese opera, including Qiangdiao, Daoban (‘leading beat’), Manban (adagio), Yuanban (moderate tempo), Liu Shui ('flowing water' fast), Kuaiban (very fast tempo) as well as melodies sung using the Xipi, Erhuang and Fan Erhuang tunes – the essential melodic structures of Chinese opera. We have also included examples of Kunqu and Yunsu Tune, and a variety of distinctive recitation styles including Shuban (lit. “counting beat”) rhythmic speech, Nianbai rhyming speech, and several local traditions. While musical scores containing melodies for the arias and tunes exist, the dialogue is often improvised and it is in these different styles of recitation that a Chinese opera performer displays their greatest mastery

Presenting such an overview for this unparalleled art at its most perfect required that Rhymoi Music assemble an extraordinary group of 11 famous contemporary Beijing Opera artists, working with them to select classic pieces from throughout the repertoire. By recording all of these different and subtle styles, we hope that we have created a harmonious and valuable documentation of Chinese operatic art, both to delight Piaoyou (the seasoned Beijing opera fan) and to preserve and promote this precious heritage for future generations. Even newcomers with a basic familiarity with some of the rudimentary aspects of Chinese opera possess keys to a rich experience that would otherwise be missed and understanding some of the more common conventions opens the door to appreciation and to delight.