Fans delight at publication of first complete reference about the ancient stage art genre.

Peking Opera aficionados are singing the praises of the first encyclopedia about the ancient art form since its Oct 23 release in Beijing.

The 1.3-million word Encyclopedia of Peking Opera was five years in the making.

The text and more than 900 photographs comprehensively detail eight categories of knowledge about the art form - history, performance arts, stage arts, formative arts, schools, characters, repertoires and syntheses.

The publication is part of the Beijing Encyclopedia project, which documents the breadth of the Chinese capital's cultural history.

"It's our duty to protect this traditional art form from being forgotten in our rapidly transforming modern world," Beijing Culture Bureau deputy director He Xin says.

Sub-editor Ma Tiehan says special attention was given to photograph selection.

"The images must be intricate and informative to represent the peak periods for all the masters," Ma says.

The book was published with support from the Xicheng district government, as the district's Xuannan area is celebrated as the "hometown of Peking Opera".

Xuannan hosted the art form's first troupe and theater, and was home to such masters as Tan Xinpei, Yang Xiaolou and Mei Lanfang.

Xicheng still hosts a slew of troupes and theaters, including the China National Peking Opera Institute and Mei Lanfang Grand Theater.

The local government also hosts regular lectures, trainings and exhibitions about the art form.

Peking Opera master Sun Yumin voices high hopes about the encyclopedia's influence.

"I hope every school teacher, student and rural villager can read it," Sun says.