京剧被誉为“东方歌剧”， 是地道的中国国粹。它起源于中国多种古老的地方戏剧，特别是南方的“徽班”。到了19世纪末，京剧形成并成为中国最大的戏曲剧种。京剧是综合性表演艺术，集唱(歌唱)、念(念白)、做(表演)、打(武)、舞(舞蹈)为一体，通过程式化的表演手段，叙述故事，刻画人物。角色主要分生(男性)、旦(女性)、净(男性)、丑(男性女性皆有)四大行当。

　　Chinese Beijing Opera praised as “Oriental Opera”, Beijing Opera is a genuine national quintessence of China. It originated from many kinds of ancient local operas, especially huiban in southern China. At the end of the 19th Century, Beijing Opera evolved and took shape, becoming the greatest kind of opera in China. Beijing Opera is a blend of performing arts---song, speech, performance, acrobatix fighting and dance. Beijing Opera portrays and narrates the plot and characters through stylized acting. The main types of roles in Beijing Opera are sheng(male), dan (young female), jing (painted face, male), and chou( clown, male or female).

(责任编辑：田学江)