Peking Opera

With its fascinating and artistic accompanying music, singing and costumes, the Peking Opera is China's national opera and the most popular and influential opera form.

Peking Opera has a 200-year-long history, it was underwent fast development during the reign of Emperor Qianlong and the notorious Empress Cixi under the imperial patron, eventually becoming more accessible to the common people.

In ancient times, Peking Opera was performed mostly on stage in the open air, teahouses or temple courtyards. Since the orchestra played loudly, the performers developed a piercing style of song that could be heard by everyone.

From the 1920's to the 1940's was the second flourishing period of Peking Opera. The symbol of this period was the emergence of lots of sects of the opera. Every sect had its groups of actors and actresses.

As the traditional quintessence of China, nowadays, Peking opera had new development, and it is also the reserved program for the communication between Chinese and many foreign cultures.

Sichuan Opera

As a renowned local opera mainly prevailing in Southwestern China's Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou, Sichuan Opera is characterized by unique solos, refined acting, rich percussion and talented comedians, whose skills are unparalleled in the world. The opera's application to be enlisted as an Intangible World Heritage is currently underway.

Sichuan Opera features vivid, humorous narration, singing and acrobatics. It also builds a system of stylized movements and its acting is both exquisite and lively.

To portray special characters, the opera incorporates a series of stunts, including the famous "face-changing". Face-changing is a difficult technique in opera performance. It is considered to be stunts and only mastered after hard training. Face changing is a special technique to expressing the sudden changes in the feelings of a character.

Kun Qu

Kun Qu, or Kunshanqiang, first appeared in the late Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), some 600 years ago, in the lower Yangtze Valley. It was one of the earliest genres of drama and named for its birthplace, Kunshan, near the city of Suzhou in today's Jiangsu Province of East China. Carrying forward the tradition of ancient poetry and common speech, it is of very high literary value. It has a rich traditional repertoire.

Kunqu has a complete system of acting as well as its own distinctive tunes. Its wide-ranging repertoire has many delicate and elegant tunes.

Many Chinese local operas are greatly influenced by its tunes and acting style.

Huangmei Opera

Huangmei Opera is one of the most famous traditional operas in China.

As a local drama in East China's Anhui Province, Huangmei Opera actually originated in Huangmei County, Hubei Province, during the 18th century when Chinese local operas were flourishing.

Huangmei Opera costumes contain a distinctive local flavor of China's ancient past. In most operas, artists wear ancient-style garments since most Huangmei operas are based on Chinese folk tales.

Its local flavor and folk style are most vividly revealed in its original and lively dialogue, which is both spoken and sung.

Nowadays, the opera has grown into a professional performance piece in both rural and urban areas, becoming a recreational activity for millions of people.

Qinqiang - The Forefather of Chinese Opera

Qinqiang Opera is a local Chinese opera that mainly thrives in Shaanxi Province, as well as its neighboring regions in Northwest China.

It is said that the opera was called "the emperor Qinshihuang's Opera" during the Tang period (618-907) and was later renamed Qinqiang Opera, which boasts the most ancient, affluent and largest musical system of all Chinese operas.

It is first originated from local folk songs and dance forms in the Yellow River Valley of Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces - the birthplaces of Chinese culture. As an opera art form, Qinqiang evolved in ancient China's political, economic and cultural center - Chang'an - with the persistent efforts of the local people over generations.

Qinqiang is also one of the earliest operatic musical systems to reflect the emotions of human beings.

Yue Ju Opera

It was named "Yue Opera" because it has its origin in part of Yue State in the Spring and Autumn Period dating back about 2,000 years ago.

In the late 1920s, with the emergence of a large number of female performers, a Didu troupe with only female performers appeared; it was called the Women's Refined Opera. In the autumn of 1938, it formally adopted the name of Yueju.

In the 1950s, Yueju adopted artistic achievements from the modern drama, Kunqu and Western music, in an attempt to create a new performing style.

Cantonese Opera

Cantonese Opera is popular in Guangdong, south of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Hong Kong and Macao.

It originated in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), beginning under the reign of the emperor Jiajing (1522-1564) and developed through the centuries. Formerly, the music was almost identical to older and more established operatic types, but since the beginning of this century it has become a blend of conventional patterns and fragments from Cantonese folk melodies, popular songs, modern Cantonese instrumental compositions and even Western tunes.

Cantonese opera costumes provide socio-historical contexts and are designed for symbolic and aesthetic effect.

Hua Gu Opera

Hua Gu Opera is a famous local opera of Central China's Hunan Province with a history of more than 200 years, and with a complete set of roles, various arias and very strong expressive power.

There are over 400 Hua Gu Opera's traditional plays, and it has developed from simple fold song and dance to an influential local opera capable of play interpretations.

In the terms of genres, the art form has different genres like Changsha Huagu Opera, Hengyang Huagu Opera and Shaoyang Huagu Opera, with Changsha Huagu Opera being the most influential.