Beijing opera costumes are called xingtou or, more popularly, xiyi in Chinese. The origins of Peking Opera costumes can be traced back to the mid-14th century, when operatic precursor traditions first began experimenting with large, ornate articles of clothing. Over the past few hundred years, those garments evolved into a costume tradition that generally follows the following rules:

(1) Anachronisms are allowable. A performer's costume primarily designates his or her role on the stage no matter when or where the action takes place. Characters, whether they are ancients of the mythical Shang or Zhou eras or their descendants in pre-modern China, appear on the Chinese opera stage wearing costumes suitable to their roles. Lately, in the course of theatrical development, a few items of Manchu-style apparel -- for instance, the archer's dress (jianyi) and the mandarin's jacket (magua) -- have been introduced into Peking Opera costume rack.

(2) Regardless of which season is being depicted in performance, the opera costume is the same. Weather is described in every scene and must be made clear by the actor's movements, rather than his clothing. For example, the young scholar Zhang Junrui in "Romance of the Western Chamber" wears the same silk gown both on his February visit to Pujiu (Save-All) Monastery and when he takes leave of his beloved, Cui Yingying, at a farewell party in the fall.

(3) Peking Opera costumes must enable the audience to distinguish a character's sex and status at first glance. In terms of symbolism, Peking Opera costumes may be regarded as having the primary function of marking people according to social hierarchy -- noble or humble, civilian or military, official or private citizen.

(4) By means of a subtle difference, opera costumes often give expression to sharp distinctions between good and evil or, preferably, loyal and wicked characters. Wings (chizi) attached to a gauze hat indicate a loyal official if they are oblongish trapezoidal ones. In contrast, a corrupt official, is made to wear a gauze hat with rhomboidal wings.

(5) Accessories, though apparently of little or no account as compared with such principal items as crowns and robes, may nevertheless function to bring about more dramatic effects on the stage. For instance, the wings attached to a hat, the plumes (lingzi) pinned to a helmet and the cascading sleeves (shuixiu) sewn to a garment accentuate movement even if they have little practical use.

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