"The four masters were all active at that time. Bi Guyun, 80, a senior nan dan performer, witnessed the boom of this art form in the 1940s and 1950s. The heyday of nan dan was the first half of the 20th century, when Mei Lanfang, Shang Xiaoyun, Cheng Yanqiu and Xun Huisheng - dubbed the "Four Great Dan" - established the four dan styles of mei, shang, cheng and xun. Yang is one of the nation's young nan dan (man who plays a female role), a practice forged at a time when women were forbidden to take the stage. After all, stubble just won't do when the 33-year-old goes on stage dressed in dazzling costumes and sings a soprano aria. Yang Lei's thick eyebrows belie his smooth jaw till the Peking Opera performer reveals he shaves before applying makeup, to make sure there is no stubble. Ĭross-dressing has been an integral part of Peking Opera from the beginning and remains so today. Yang Lei goes through the stages of transformation to play a female role.
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