"Peking 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 has come to be regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China.

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) deems Peking Opera as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010. The repertoire of Peking opera includes over 1,400 works, which are based on Chinese history, folklore, and, increasingly, contemporary life.

Peking Opera features four main types of performers. With their elaborate and colourful costumes, performers are the only focal points on Peking 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. The layers of meaning within each movement must be expressed in time with music."