Chinese Opera - aaaaahhhhhhh!

I lived in China as a teenager..and thusly, have a slight phobia when it comes to the thought of traditional Chinese opera. I also have a fear of spiky green fruits and ice kachang...but that's another story.

Chinese opera mostly conjures thought of overly made men in women's clothing letting out the most intense sounds imaginable...

...all the while a troupe of three older men located somewhere near your head smash enormous drums and clang pots and pans together in an attempt to miss every type of imaginable rhythm.. plus, I've always thought Mandarin sounded violent.

But, my busy gotta-see-stuff tourist side won this time and I dragged my other (more sensible) nice-sound-enjoying side kicking and screaming a little opera at a temple down the road...and...

well...it was ok.

I mean, they screamed..sang..clanged drums. I half understood the story..I didn't have a brain melt down or run screaming from the scene..it was ok..but the makeup I found absolutely fascinating! I'd never seen it so close up before..

There's a lot of opera in Penang, all around in fact, Anh Huah, my little Hainanese temple friend here, can get me in to the backstage areas..so next time I'm going with a purpose..to get some makeup tips!!

So, I went and found some beautiful pics on flikr by a man called John Iishi..

..just beautiful...

Chinese Opera Georgetown Penang
Mercy Temple (Quan Yin)
Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling
(just near Little India)