To the uninitiated spectator, the rich colors painted boldly across the faces of Peking Opera performers are no more than a vivid adjunct to the Opera"s spectacular combination of music, drama, dance and acrobatics. Yet the simple design of the face paintings, or lian pu, is actually closely related to traditional Chinese painting, in which abstract color conceals profound meanings.

"My teacher used to say that lian pu could not be ranked among painting and calligraphy," says Tian Youliang, a 53-year-old researcher at the China Facial Design and Opera Research Institute. But in spite of such disdain, Tian has studied and painted lian pu for nearly 30 years. To, him lian pu is art.

"I was interested in facial painting when I was a kid." recalls Tian. "There used to be a teahouse in Qianmen. It had a huge picture of dozens of beautiful lian pu." As a poor child, Tian didn"t have extra money to pay for tea, so he would not be allowed to stay in the teahouse. He started to save money, and whenever he had enough for a cup of tea he would go the teahouse, sit before the painting and copy down those lian pu. Finally, he says, "The owner was moved and allowed me to stay there painting for free."

Later on Tian himself became a performer in the Peking Opera Troupe of Shaanxi Province. "I painted my own face and copied down lian pu on paper from prints, photos and real performances," says Tian. "Each character has a different facial design. Each lian pu has its function and symbolic meanings."

Most of Tian"s lian pu pictures were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. "I felt so low and for many years I stopped painting," he says. It was not until the late 1970"s that Tian decided to pick up his art again. Since then, Tian has tried to transfer this facial art onto paper. He has held painting exhibitions in the China Art Gallery and Sino-Japanese Exchange Center. His paintings have been collected by the Museum of Traditional Chinese Opera, a number of famous Peking Opera Theaters and individual collectors from home and abroad.

"It was a taboo to sell lian (face) in the past, but I sell my lian pu paintings." says Tian.

"Using my art to raise the status of my art is my way of carrying on its tradition."

The origin of lian pu can be traced back to the Southern and Northern Dynasties more than 1,400 years ago. Leading actors then used to wear a mask. As the operatic arts developed, performers gradually took off their masks and drew colorful patterns on their faces instead.

During the heyday of the Peking Opera in the Qing Dynasty, performers carefully studied facial structures. They also carefully analyzed the personalities and appropriate facial characteristics of characters in the operas. Various colors were used to identify performers as this or that character and to reveal the character"s moral, spiritual, or other defining characteristics.

Colors are of great significance in revealing a character"s inner world. Color selection distinguishes nobility from humbleness, goodness from evil or loyalty from treachery. Red symbolizes loyalty, uprightness and courage. Purple shows solemnity, serenity and a sense of justice. Black means seriousness in disposition and taciturnity. It can also symbolize strength and roughness. Yellow represents intelligence, calculation or bravery if it is used in warrior roles. Blue shows uprightness and stubbornness. Green indicates bravery and irascibility. Creamy white reveals craftiness and suspicion. Gold and silver are sometimes used on the faces of immortals, demons and monsters.