Peking Opera is a Chinese national treasure with a history of 200 years. The make-up which the actors wear is a necessary element of this unique dramatic form.

Colorful Peking opera faces, colorful life.

Here in an ancient street in central Beijing, this shop is a must-see for Peking opera lovers. Clay Peking opera face masks have become an art in their own right. In this shop, masks of different colors and various sizes are available for purchase.

Lin Hongkui, 29, is the young owner of the shop, as well as an inheritor of clay mask painting.

In the room, Lin uses vibrant colors to distinguish the different stage characters.

"Different colors are required to create the different personalities. For instance, red represents faithfulness and integrity; white means cattiness and guile; black resembles recklessness and irritability; yellow shows cruelty and cunning, while blue means commitment and bravery."

To create these masks one must be familiar with the connotations of the different colors, but the essence of the art lies in the creation process.

"The first thing is to make a clay face and paint it white. Then it is time to use brush pens to draw lines using red and black. Those are the main colors for the makeup, to divide the whole face into three main parts. And then fill in the parts which create the mask's personality. Finally, lacquer the red and black parts." Lin said.

It is easier said than done, even for the talented Lin. When he was a beginner, the initial line drawing was the biggest challenge.

"People may be patient if they draw ten or a dozen faces, but it is hard to keep sitting still after they finish one or two hundred faces. Everybody can draw some lines, but it is not an easy job to paint it symmetrically. We need to practice everything step by step."

Now, Lin is a proficient artist. His love for his craft and his professional skills has come from his family, particularly from his mother, who influenced him as a child.

Lin's mum Tong Xiufen is also a master of Peking opera facial art and she has been drawing for 32 years.

"I studied art when I was young, and luckily I met my teacher in the 1970s. I was very interested in painting masks and have been drawing till now. The largest of my works was more than one meter, which I made with my teacher. And the smallest one is as small as finger nail."

The charm of the colorful masks attracts not only Tong's son, but also her husband, who has devoted himself to the most tiring part of the whole process and Tong is very much satisfied with her husband’s work.

"He makes all the initial clay masks, using moulds, because other people can barely meet my requirements. And if the surface processing is not good enough, it will affect the drawing. My husband has done the boring work for 32 years."

But even the support from family members may not be enough for Lin.

"I hope more people can learn this art, so my son isn't left as the solo inheritor. The painting of masks is what I've done for my whole life, so I hope it can be passed down for generations. My sight is not as good as before, but I'm willing to offer tutoring for those who'd like to learn."

But there is something she can't teach-- how to improve the traditional art and make it fresh and exciting. Fortunately her son Lin has made some attempts.

"I started with adding some traditional buttons, collars and some other decorations to the bare faces, and now I use some novel images like cartoons in order to attract more people, especially the youth. Only when young people are fond of it, can the traditional art be handed down to the next generation."

This is one family who hopes that the Peking Opera art will capture the attention of a new audience, and in the meantime they will continue preserving their craft.

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