During the period of the Republic of China (1911-1949) theaters transformed and became comparable to Western stages. Until 1931, the audience was separated the men were sitting in the stalls and the women on the balconies. This changed with the introduction of the so-called old style theaters where all benches were installed in a way facing the stage. Peking Opera was just some kind of side entertainment performances sometimes had a duration of up to 12 hours. Back then, people sat on benches facing one another and costumers paid only for the tea, not for the shows. Originally Peking Opera was performed in a xiyuanzi, which means 'tea courtyard'. New structures were introduced for managing theaters and Peking Opera companies. It became the home of a multitude of famous Peking Opera artists.

The Qianmen area in the south of the Forbidden City had developed into a flourishing commercial center packed with theaters, tea houses and restaurants which hosted all kinds of artistic activities and where Peking Opera became a part of daily culture. Beijing was the center of the theater scene. By the end of the 19th century, Peking Opera had become the most acclaimed opera form in China. Even though, male performers continued to be highly popular in Dan roles.įrom 1860 on, numerous mobile companies spread Peking Opera all over China. Only from the 1870ies on, women made appearances on the stage. Initially, exclusively male performers were allowed to participate in a play. Basically, Peking Opera never has been an exclusive art form, from the beginning it was enjoyed both by the imperial court and the common people, so a wide range of audiences from all social classes was generated. Over the years, Peking Opera was formed through the combination of various music and performing techniques. Soon afterwards, some other theater companies from the region of Hubei followed. It is said that Peking Opera had its birth in 1790, when four opera troupes from the province of Anhui came to Beĳing to perform on the occasion of the 80th birthday of the Emperor. There are other Chinese opera genres that came into existence much earlier, like Kun Opera for example, that was developed already in the 14th century. Peking Opera has a history of only about 200 years.

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