One of the four main male role categories (
生) in Peking opera, along with
小生 (young male),
武生 (martial male), and
娃娃生 (child).
老生 typically play dignified figures — officials, generals, scholars — with a false beard (
髯口). Mei Lanfang's peer Yu Shuyan and the later 'four great laosheng' (
前四大须生) set the modern standard.
