Peking Opera, also called Jingju, listed by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, is the most important one among hundreds of forms of local operas in China. It arose in the late 18th century and has a history of more than two hundred years.

 Peking Opera which combines singing, dancing, acrobatics and martial arts is sung and recited using Beijing dialect. The music of Peking Opera plays a key role in setting the pace of the show, creating a particular atmosphere, shaping the characters, and guiding the progress of the stories,

 The art form has spread to many other countries and is enjoyed all around the world. Many children in China receive training in Peking Opera classes or practise Peking Opera. However, some artists still worry that Peking Opera is challenged by new forms of entertainment like many traditional art forms. They are trying to do something for Peking Opera.

 Tao Qingmei, a traditional arts scholar at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, co-wrote the book The Marvelous Game with Guo Baochang. Guo, a film director, is a Peking Opera fan who has loved Jingju since he was a kid. It has been his long time wish to write a book on Peking Opera.

 The boy on the new book cover is Guo Baochang’s grandson. Guo and his grandson are playing a game by dressing up in roles from the classic Peking Opera piece, Shuang Bei Deng, which is a comedy. Tao and Guo spent years writing the book because they wanted to make it easy and fun for everyone. They hope young people will get to know more about Peking Opera and fall in love with it.

Peking Opera is regarded as an expression of the aesthetic ideal of opera in the traditional Chinese society and remains a widely recognized element of the country’s cultural heritage. The stories performed in Peking Opera are often based on Chinese history, folklore and literary classics. They bring us a colourful world.