Beijing opera is a form of traditional Chinese theatre which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance, and acrobatics. It arose in the late 18th century and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century. The form was extremely popular in the Qing Dynasty court and has come to be regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China. Major performance troupes are based in Beijing and Tianjin in the north, and Shanghai in the south. The art form is also enjoyed in Taiwan, and has spread to other countries such as the United States and Japan. Beijing opera features four main types of performers. Performing troupes often have several of each variety, as well as numerous secondary and tertiary performers. With their elaborate and colorful costumes, performers are the only focal points on Beijing opera's characteristically sparse stage. They utilize the skills of speech, song, dance, and combat in movements that are symbolic and suggestive, rather than realistic. Above all else, the skill of performers is evaluated according to the beauty of their movements.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_opera

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1860: Abraham Lincoln became the first Republican Party candidate to win the U.S. presidential election. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election%2C_1860)

1935: Before the Institute of Radio Engineers in New York, American electrical engineer and inventor Edwin Howard Armstrong presented his study on using frequency modulation for radio broadcasting. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/frequency_modulation)

1962: The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 1761, condemning South Africa's apartheid policies.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_South_Africa_in_the_apartheid_era)

1975: Demonstrators in Morocco began the Green March to Spanish Sahara, calling for the "return of the Moroccan Sahara." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_March)

1999: Although opinion polls had clearly suggested that the majority of the electorate favoured republicanism, the Australian republic referendum was defeated, keeping the British monarch as the country's head of state. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_republic_referendum%2C_1999)

_____________________ Wiktionary's Word of the day:

autochthonous: Native to the place where found; indigenous. (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/autochthonous)