INGREDIENTS
2c. all purpose flour, 5oz. Chinese chive, 1 bunch mung bean noodles, a pinch of salt, dash of sesame oil

METHODS
1. Place flour in the pot, pour in 2/3c. boiling water and 1/3c cold water, add a bit of salt, knead to make a dough, then cover a wet cloth and set for 20 minutes.
2. Rinse and chop Chinese chive; soften the mung bean noodles in water, chop, mix the two kinds together, add salt and sesame oil to taste and make the filling.
3. Divide the dough into small pieces, stuff the Chinese chive filling into each small dough and shape them as a bun, press flat,then fry with a little oil in fry pan, cook until golden on both sides, then serve.

INGREDIENTS
1c. millet, 1/3c. cracked corn

METHODS
1. Wash the millet and mix with the cracked corn, soak in 7c.water for 30 minutes.
2. Bring method (1) to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cook until the millet and cracked corn soften ,remove from heat, let cool, serve.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 bowl cooked rice, lc. hot Oolong tea

METHODS
Put the rice in the bowl, pour the hot Oolong tea, mix together and serve.

METHODS

Stewed Beef Tripe
Cook the beef tripe until soft, then add the five-spice bag and soy sauce to taste, and cook until the flavor is absorbed, slice when serving this dish.
Stewed Peanuts
Clean the peanuts, cook until done, then add the star anises and some salt to taste, cook until the flavor is absorbed.
Stewed Pressed Tofu
Place five-flavored pressed tofu into stewing sauce and cook until the flavor is absorbed, then slice when eating. If you don't prepare the stewing sauce at home,it is suggested that using the stock together with soy sauce and star anises, and stew to flavored.

INGREDIENTS
1c. mung beans, 2c.rice

METHODS
1. Rinse the mung beans, soak in water for 1 hour.
Rinse the rice and soak in water for 20 minutes.
2. Put the mung beans and rice altogether into the pot, add enough water, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low,cook until the mung beans and rice get softened. Serve.

INGREDIENTS
1 frozen San Don bun, 1t, salt

METHODS
1. Place the salt into a big bowl, add 1c. water and mix to salty water.
2. Slice bun. Heat 2c. oil, then dip the buns Into salty water then put into the hot oil immediately, deep-fry until golden brown on both sides, then serve.

Chinese opera performers mainly have two methods of makeup: masks and facial painting. The frequent on-stage change of masks, without the audience noticing, is a special technique, known as changing faces. Opera facial painting falls into three main categories -- personality makeup (facial designs, painted faces or Lian Pu), decorative makeup (decorated faces), mood makeup (changing facial designs), and pictographic makeup (animal-like facial designs).

Lian Pu

Personality makeup, or Lian Pu,refers to facial designs for Jing and Chou roles. It originated from daily life experience, describing such changes of expression as white for fear, red for shyness, dark for suntan, and sallow for illness. Most facial designs attach great importance to the eyes and eyebrows.Lian Pu has formed a complete system, such as the facial designs of Peking Opera.

Red, yellow, white, black, purple, green and silver are the main colors used for facial designs to represent different characters. For instance, red stands for loyal, courageous and upright people; white for sinister and cunning officials; and golden and silvery colors for gods and ghosts.

The facial designs for the Jing roles are made by painting, powdering and coloring in the basic forms of Zheng Lian(keeping the basic face pattern),San Kuai Wa Lian(three-section face) and Sui Lian(fragmentary face). These types are widely used to represent generals, officials, heroes, gods and ghosts.

The Chou actors can be recognized by the patch of white in various shapes (cube-, date pit-or bat-shaped) painted around the eyes and nose. Sometimes these patches are outlined in black, hence the term Xiao Hua Lian(partly painted face). The Chou roles fall into the following two categories:Wen Chou(civil) and Wu Chou(martial).

Decorative makeup

Decorative makeup refers to the facial decorations of Sheng and Dan actors, also known asSu Mian orJing Mian(elegant or clean faces). In the early days,Sheng actors and Dan actresses put on light makeup. At the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), stage lighting was used, and actors and actresses had to put on heavy makeup by using greasepaint rather than fine powder. Though theShengandDanperformers do not have facial designs as Jing and Chou roles, their makeup is full of decorative interest.

Chinese opera performers mainly have two methods of makeup: masks and facial painting. The frequent on-stage change of masks or facial makeup, without the audience noticing, is a special technique, known as changing faces.

Changing Faces a difficult technique in opera performance. It is considered to be stunts and only mastered after hard training. Face changing is also a special technique used to exaggerate the inner feelings of characters, portray their dispositions, set off the atmosphere and improve the effects. Facial changes expressing sudden changes in the feelings of a character are mostly done in four ways:

Blowing Dust:The actor blows black dust hidden in his palm or close to his eyes, nose or beard, so that it blows back into his face.

Manipulating Beard:Beard colors can be changed while the beard is being manipulated, from black to gray and finally to white, expressing anger or excitement.

Pulling-down Masks:The actor can pull down a mask which has been previously hidden on top of his head and which leaves his face red, green, blue or black, to demonstrate happiness, hate, anger or sadness, respectively.

Mop:The actor mops out the greasepaint, which is previously hidden in his sideburns or eyebrows, around his eyes and nose, thus change his facial appearance.

Wu Yin and Si Hu, or Five Yin and Four Hu,are terms for Chinese opera. They are about the proper pronouncing skills.

Yin means note in pronunciation.FiveYin,the five notes of the ancient pentatonic scale, refers to the five places where air streams pass through to make different sound. It includes Hou(throat)Yin,Chi(through teeth)Yin,Ya(teeth)Yin,She(tongue)Yin and Chun(lip)Yin.

Four Hu, referring to the proper shapes of the performer's mouth when pronouncing, falls in four categories --Kai Hu, Qichi Hu, Hekou HuandCuokou Hu.

Only when the performer gets full understanding and control ofWuYinandSi Hu,can he make the proper and articulate pronunciation when performing.

Nowadays, when we say someone is Wu Yin Bu Quan (an idiom), we mean that this person is not good at singing at all.

In Chinese opera,Jue Se and Jiao Se have quite different meanings.

Jue Se refers to which figure in the play the actor represents.Jiao Se, or Hangdan,is basically classified as Sheng, Dan,Jing,Mo and Chou.

According to the age and social status of the characters,Sheng falls into three sub-groups:Lao sheng, Xiaosheng and Wu sheng;the Dan roles are subdivided into Zhengdan(orQingyi), Huadan, Wudan, Laodan, Caidan, Daomadan, and Guimendan;theJing roles, Dahualian, Erhualian, Wuer Hualian and Youhualian;the Chou roles, Wenchou and Wuchou.

Liang xiang means striking a pose on the stage. In Peking Opera, before they appear on or leave the stage, the leading actors are supposed to make a statue-like pose to show their mental spirit. 

Qi ba(setting off for battle) got its name because it was first used in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) opera One Thousand Pieces of Gold. It is usually used in performances such as fully armed soldiers setting off for battle in the old days. It concentrates fundamental actions and dancing skills in order to demonstrate the prowess of generals and soldiers.

No matter how beautiful the dances in an opera are and how brilliant its acrobatics are, all of them are techniques and means used by actors and actresses to portray characters. This is quite different from Western opera, in which the dividing lines between various art forms are distinct, each giving full play to its brilliance. Therefore, it is not easy to be a Chinese opera performer, who is required to be good at singing, acrobatics, recitation and martial arts as well.

That is why Chinese operas have everlasting charm. It is no wonder that audiences went wild when Mei Lanfang told about a woman's experiences with a modulated tone, clear, soft and smooth recitations, sentimental facial expressions, sweet and mellow songs, and elegant dances. 

From the mid-Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), various forms of local opera flourished. Except for Kunqu, they were all called local operas. Of these local operas,Bangzi, Pihuang and Xiansuo occupied the leading position during the reign of Qian long (1736-1795). Well, in this period,Kunqu was on the decline.

The Chinese rulers regarded music as refined, and songs as popular. At that time,Kunqu represented the refined, or Yabu; and local operas, the popular, or Huabu,as they featured folk music.

While poetic dramas, including local tunes of Kunqu, were created by men of letters of the Ming and Qing Dynasties,Huabu got little help from either the literati or officialdom.Huabu plays, which drew their materials directly from folk culture, were full of the aroma of the earth and the intense emotion of life.Huabu did not conform to the literary standards and style of the time, which Kunqu, or Yabu, did.

However,Huabu had its own advantages as theater, and was by no means inferior to Zaju or poetic dramas of the previous dynasty. Its artistry was forged on the stage instead of being worked out in the quiet of a study. As there were no playwrights for Huabu, the Qing Dynasty did not give birth to famous playwrights equal to Guan Hanqing and Tang Xianzu.

The themes of Huabu were mainly historical stories. In the 19th century Chinese feudal society was approaching its end; the Chinese people's resentment of feudal rule that had been smoldering for quite a long time was strongly represented in Huabu dramas.The Fisherman's Revenge is a moving and tragic story of how an aged hero of the Marsh is forced to rebel by local tyrants.

From then on, the focus of Chinese theater began to be transferred from libretto literature to stage arts. The local operas of the Qing Dynasty were handed down by means of hand-copied scripts and oral instructions, and only a few librettos were printed. The only libretto that has survived is Zhui Bai Qiu, printed during the reign of Qianlong.

This allusion is taken form the New History of the Tang Dynasty. There goes such a story that Emperor Li Longji (685-762) of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), also known as Tang Ming Huang, loved music very much. He himself could play several types of musical instruments and compose music as well. He selected hundreds of young men and maids of the honor, and settled them in a pear orchard in the capital, Chang'an (present-day Xi'an). The Emperor taught them in person to sing and play musical instruments. They were called "the emperor's pear orchard pupils." And the man of letters of the period, such as Li Bai, all wrote plays for the pear orchard.

Later, the term "Pear Orchard" came to refer to operatic circles, and opera performers were called "Pear Orchard pupils". If several generations in a family were opera performers, then the family was called Pear Orchard Family, such as Maestro Mei Lanfang's family -- the family was famous for playing Dan roles and Mei Lanfang was of the third generation.

During the long process of development, up to now, there are about 317 kinds of operas inChina, which have developed their own unique styles, depending on local dialects. Their music reflects their differences.

It is recorded that the earliest existing drama scenario isTop Scholar Zhang Xie,written in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).

In 1920, a Chinese scholar bought a copy ofThe Yong Le Encyclopedia(Volume 13991) from an antique market inLondon. It includes three ancient dramas, one of which isTop Scholar Zhang Xie. It was exciting news that a complete Southern Drama script had finally been found.

This script aroused great interest, because it retains all the features of theSouthern Drama. It is introduced by a narrator, and the characters start to perform as he is telling the audience the background to the play.

The story ofTop Scholar Zhang Xiegoes as follows: On his way to the capital to take part in the highest imperial examination, Zhang Xie runs into a group of bandits atFiveChickenMountain, and is seriously injured. A poor girl living in theMountainGodTempletakes care of him. Neighbors Li Dagong and his wife serve as go-betweens, and the two young people get married. Soon afterwards, Zhang Xie continues his journey to the capital. His wife cuts off her hair and sells it for his traveling expenses. Zhang Xie passes the imperial examination, and become the No.1 Scholar. His wife goes to the capital to look for him, but is turned away from his door. When passingFiveChickenMountain, Zhang Xie almost kills his wife with his sword, but she is saved by another official, who takes her as his adopted daughter. Finally, Zhang Xie and his wife are reunited.

Top Scholar Zhang Xieshows the traces of the transition from singing-and-recitation performance to the drama proper, and that is where its cultural value lies.