Occasionally, suona horn and Chinese flute are also used. Plucked stringed instruments include yueqin (moonshaped mandolin), pipa (four-stringed lute) and xianzi (three-stringed lute). The main stringed instrument is jinghu (Beijing fiddle), supported by erhu (second fiddle). There are also clappers made of hardwood or bamboo. The main percussion instruments are gongs and drums of various sizes and shapes. The music of Peking opera is mainly orchestral music and percussion instruments that provide a strongly rhythmical accompaniment.

Peking opera is the most representative of all Chinese traditional dramatic art forms. It is considered a superb art form, famous for its great artistic skill in singing, dancing and martial arts. It was developed and improved by masters of the performing arts for many generations before it reached maturity and perfection.

Since, however, Peking opera assumed its present form about two hundred years ago in Beijing, then the capital of the Qing Dynasty, it is usually regarded as a national art form. While they may differ only slightly in costume and makeup, all traditional opera forms, including Peking opera (京剧), are, strictly speaking, 'regional,' in that each is based on the music and dialect of a specific area.

Artists perform 'Borrowing a Fan,' a classic Peking Opera program, for international expats living in Beijing at the Fenglei Peking Opera House on April 8, 2017.

Wudan peking opera