穿越传统戏曲世界 Exploring the World of Opera

Delve into the world of Chinese opera through this handbook,
designed and illustrated by @quekie,
supported by @nhb_sg, and
now available on @mystorytreasury!

This interesting bilingual handbook introduces

⭐️ What is Chinese Opera
⭐️ Different types of Roles
生 shēng male, 旦 dàn female,
净 jìng painted faces, 丑 chǒu jester
⭐️ Basic Techniques
唱 chàng singing, 念 niàn recitation,
做 zuò movement, 打 dǎ martial expertise
⭐️ Opera Makeup
⭐️ Chinese proverbs 成语
and more.

What we love about it

❤️ it’s BILINGUAL!
❤️ has full-color photographs
❤️ adorable illustrations to go along
❤️ bite-sized facts
❤️ engaging hands-on activities
❤️ QR codes to watch video excerpts
❤️ a friendly introduction to Chinese opera
❤️ shows 孙悟空 Monkey King 🐒 👑which my kids are familiar with

Some interesting things we learned:

💡 大打出手 dà dǎ chū shǒu
was originally used to describe a fighting scene in Chinese opera
between 1 person and many enemies on the stage.
It has now evolved to describe a brutal and violent fight between people.
💡 有板有眼 yǒu bǎn yǒu yǎn
originally refers to precisely following
the beats (板，眼）and rhythm of the opera music.
It now describes a person who is efficient.
💡 Notice all four characters have the same 3rd tone,
in 有板有眼 yǒu bǎn yǒu yǎn?
We pronounce it as yóu bǎn yóu yǎn,
because of the pinyin rule that
words with consecutive tones 3-3 are changed to 2-3.

Additional resources and places to check out:

Suitable for ages: 4-12
Type: Softcover
Language: Simplified Chinese and English
Designer & Illustrator: Quek Hong Shin