The use of face makeup in Chinese opera has a long tradition. Painted faces with simple patterns have been found in tomb murals dating to the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the designs became more intricate and the paint preparations more sophisticated, and the colourful patterns we still see in today's opera emerged.
The overall colour of a mask tells the audience a great deal about the disposition of a character. You can use the following list of traditional colours and their meanings as a guide to decorating your mask according to the character you wish to portray, or go wild and introduce a whole new character to Chinese opera.
Click on the masks below to learn more about the colours:
RedMask
Silver and Gold: sometimes used on the faces of immortals, spirits, demons and monsters
RedMask
Red: devotion, courage, bravery, uprightness and loyalty
BlueMask
Blue: staunchness, fierceness and astuteness
PurpleMask
Purple: uprightness, sophistication and cool-headedness; reddish purple: a just and noble character
BlackMask
Black: either roughness and fierceness, or impartiality and selflessness
YellowMask
Yellow: fierceness, ambition and cool-headedness
GreenMask
Green: impulsiveness, violence, surly stubbornness, impetuosity and a total lack of self-restraint
PettyFaceMask
Petty Face: a mean and secretive character, or wit and humour
Beards
Beards: Chinese opera has many types of beards - long or short, black, white, grey, or even red! - mostly worn by older men; black denotes over 40 years old, grey over 50, white over 60
For more information on decorating Chinese opera masks, see:
Chinese Opera Mask Colours
Painting Chinese Opera Masks
Drawing Chinese Opera Masks