There is a widely accepted understanding in Chinese theatrical circles that face painting developed from the masks used in a musical dance called "Lanlingwang (Prince Lanling)" from the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). In an article entitled Masks for gods, make-ups for ghosts: The earliest face painting in China that appeared in this year's ninth issue of Literature and Arts Studies, Zhou Huabin, a professor at the Beijing Broadcasting Institute and a noted scholar in the study of traditional opera, leads readers to tracing the history behind this interesting cultural phenomenon. It seems just as if they are wearing brilliantly colored, sometimes sinister-looking masks which are somehow greatly animated by their eyes and muscle movements. They paint their faces with thick and flamboyant greasepaint until their original looks are completely unrecognizable. One quaint aspect of Peking Opera is the face paint worn by those in roles categorized as jing, a robust, strong-willed male character.
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