Costumes, make-up, and stage properties identify the character and his or her role in the opera. Yet another, and subtle, component in an actor's repertoire is the stylized gesture, used to express particular sentiments. There are hundreds of symbolic gestures using the sleeves, hands, fingers, feet, and legs. For the opera connoisseur it is the execution of these movements that mark the distinction of greatness for the actor. This was new to me because I can compare it to theatre in America, every actor must start from the bottom and work their way up by mastering their skill. This theme of hard wok and perseverance resembles the American dream; that anybody can amount to someone great.
The stage on which the performance takes place is not a major concern; the props are very basic and usually include a table, chair, and curtain, which symbolically represent a mountain, throne, and well, respectively. Imagination is what holds the show together and keeps viewers intrigued. This was interesting to me because in the American culture, we strive for realism instead of understanding symbolism. The need to use of our imagination is minor because Americanise live in a objective world. We belong to the object of thought rather than to the thoughr of its subject. By living subjectively like Beijing Opera viewers that can appreciate the art because its existing in the mind. It is then we can belong to the thought of a subject rather than to the object of thought.