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.