Beijing in ancient times was the converging point of the culture of the Han nationality and that of the northern minority nationalities. It is where the oriental culture meets the occidental culture today. However, behind this diversification. The culture and art of Beijing has retained a strong regional and local flavor throughout its history. 

Peking Opera
Peking Opera is a purely Chinese opera form with a history dating back to 1790. That year, four local opera troupes of Anhui Province came to Beijing on a performance tour by order of the imperial court. The tour was a hit and the troupes stayed. The artists absorbed the tunes of the local Hubei opera and drew on the best of Kun Qu, Qin Qiang, Bang Zi and other local operas.

Facial Make-up Represents Different Characters
Many Peking Opera roles require painted faces. The different colors of the faces represent different characters and personalities. Yellow and white represent cunning, red stands for uprightness and loyalty, black means valor and wisdom, blue and green indicate the vigorous and enterprising character of rebellious heroes and gold and silver represent mystic or super-natural power.

Unique Terminology
Sheng, Dan, Jing, Chou are just a few of the terms for different types of roles. Sheng is the positive male role, Dan is the positive female role, Jing is a supporting male role with striking character and Chou is the clown. Every type has its tell tale facial makeup and decoration. Other jargon includes: piao you meaning Peking opera fans, piao fang, the place where fans meet to amuse themselves and xia hai, which means turning professional. When you come across a small group of  Peking Opera fans singing on a street corner, that corner can be considered a street piao fang. There is no lack of social celebrities among Peking Opera fans. Emperor Guang Xu of the Qing Dynasty, for example, was not only a good amateur Peking Opera singer, but also a good drummer in the Peking Opera orchestra (the drummer plays the role of orchestra director). The Empress Dowager was an avid Peking Opera fan, too. The huge three  - story theater in the Summer Place is proof if her love for the art.

Xiangsheng, or Cross Talk- A Popular comic Art
Probable every Chinese loves this form of art. which is usually performed by two people, but can be performed by one of more than two. These comedians talk very fast and get lots of laughter. Performers need no props, on or off stage. They can perform anywhere with of without a microphone.

Colorful Stage
One can find almost all forms of performing arts in Beijing, something Beijingers are proud of. The Beijing People's Art Theater is home of the best drama troupe in China. The China Central Philharmonic Orchestra is a large-scale orchestra. The China Central Ballet Trouped has produced quite a number of gold medallists in international competitions. The China Opera Theater has male and female singers who have won laurels at contests held in the homelands of opera in Europe. There are many other theaters in Beijing which are also the best in China. Meanwhile Beijing is also the Chinese capital of pop music. In addition to large-scale pop music shows, more than a dozen rock bands give regular performances. Cobra is an all-women rock band formed in Beijing. The artistic permissiveness of Beijing is attracting large numbers of artists from all parts of China. Some are venturing into the field of modern experimental drama, some seek the expression of Peking Opera via piano or violin.　

The end.