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We arrived at the theatre just before the lights went down. As the curtain rose, the actors came on stage in their 15 beautiful costumes, the fiery reds and ribbons of gold and silver were like a kaleidoscope of colourt The costumes go all the way back to the street show days, wher the actors used to wear bright colours to stand out in the dark. The singing was quite strange - very sharp and high-pitched. 20 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 25 then falls 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 from about 30 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 galloping with a whip, for example, means they are riding a horse. Doing somersaults from a table or a pile of chairs 35 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 40 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 means they are running down a mountain, Chinese opera one day!