DISCIPLES OF PEAR GARDEN

More than thousand years Chinese Opera performers have been referred to as "Disciples of the Pear Garden", after the first opera troupe name. Many people in China still use this name when talking about opera actors.

The Chinese opera is an ancient art form. Already in the 20th century BC there were people who supported themselves as an opera actor. Opera performances depict various legendary, historical or even contemporary events. Also the performance various art expressions are mixed: singing, speech, acrobatics, pantomime, costumes, masks. All this has been learned through 10 years of training.

Whats happens behind the scene of Chinese opera? Backstage is like a borderland between everyday life and the magnificent world of Chinese opera. It's interesting to observe how the ordinary man becomes larger and more idealized than in real life, when he/she puts on make-up and opera costume. When the time come and the battle between evil and good is played out and they become somebody else.