Read the text about Chinese opera. Decide if the following statements are True, False or Not Stated.
Chinese opera
If you want to watch a music performance that combines songs, dances, and striking design, just forget about the latest pop video. Have a look at a truly original style of musical performance: Chinese opera. Last month I was on a trip to Shanghai. I was staying with my Chinese friend Mai-Li. She insisted that we go to the Chinese opera, and I have to admit the experience was amazing from beginning to end.
Opera has a long history in China. In ancient times, actors performed the operas on the streets on temporary stages with only hanging lanterns for lighting. It’s funny to think that such grand art started out like that!
We arrived at the theatre just before the lights went down. As the curtain rose, the actors came on stage in their beautiful costumes; the fiery reds and ribbons of gold and silver were like a kaleidoscope of colour! The costumes go all the way back to the street show days, when the actors used to wear bright colours to stand out in the dark.
The singing was quite strange — very sharp and high-pitched. Just like the costumes, the singing style was really ancient. The street performers used to sing that way, so that their voices could carry over the crowds who gathered to watch. The opera we saw was "Lady White Snake", a classic Chinese folk tale. A white snake changes into a beautiful girl, and then falls in love with a human. But the actors didn’t only tell the story through song; the dancing and acrobatics were fantastic, too. The actors used not only their faces, but also their whole bodies to act out the story and show their emotions. These actors train very hard at opera schools for years, about the age of 7 or 8. There weren’t a lot of stage props or scenery because the actors use a lot of symbols to help tell the story. An actor gallops with a whip, for example, means they are riding a horse. Doing somersaults from a table or a pile of chairs means they are running down a mountain.
The actors’ make-up was incredible. Each colour has a special meaning and reveals something about their character; red means loyalty and bravery, black shows a warrior or a wild character, blue means cruelty and gold and silver means mystery. At the finale, it was breathtaking to see them all on stage together in their bright costumes and make-up. I didn’t think that opera was for me, but I can’t believe how much I enjoyed it. You must all see a Chinese opera one day!

• Группы
  • True
  • False
  • Not Stated
• Варианты
  • Colours of the actors' make-up are meaningful and can tell a lot about the actors' personality.
  • In ancient times, opera performances were visited only by wealthy people.
  • To make the audience understand the meaning of the performance, actors use a great variety of signs.
  • My visit to the Chinese opera was an unforgettable experience.
  • A combination of songs, dances and amazing design reflects all the beauty of the original Chinese opera.
  • The performance made me feel indifferent.
  • The actors' singing was quite ordinary and recognizable in the modern traditions of Chinese pop music.