Sheng role

The sheng is a role type in Chinese opera for dignified and respectable male characters such as Confucian scholars, nobles, or heads of households.

'old sheng') is a dignified older role, usually distinguished by a long, thin, three-part beard.

[1] These characters have a gentle and cultivated disposition and typically wear long robes with water sleeves, high-soled boots, and fabric headdresses.

Young, beardless male characters are known as xiaosheng (Chinese: 小生; pinyin: xiǎoshēng; lit.

Often, their filigree helmets are appended with two long pheasant feathers known as lingzi (Chinese: 翎子).

In Peking opera, Meng Xiaodong was perhaps the first female superstar who specialized in sheng roles.

The strategist Zhuge Liang is an example of a laosheng character.
The young warrior Yang Wenguang is an example of a xiaosheng character. Attached to his helmet are two six-foot long pheasant feathers, known as lingzi , which indicate his military profession.