China is a country with vast land and
various nationalities. People in different regions speak different dialects. Thus,
many local opera forms have appeared alongside Beijing Opera.
Statistics show that there are more than 360 types of local operas, of which the
best well-known are:
- Pingju Opera.
- Yue - Shaoxing Opera.
- Yu - Henan Opera.
- Huangmei Opera.
- Guangdong Opera.
- Szechuan Opera, etc.
Pingju Opera originated in Tangshan city in Hebei province and is poplular
in Beijing, Tianjin, North and Northeast of China. Pingju Opera is lively,
freely in style and close to life. It is a perfect form to reflect the modern life.
The best well-known performers include Xiao Bai, Yushuang and Xin Fengxia, Representative
plays are Qin Xianglian, Small Son-in-Law and Liu Qiao'er, etc.
Yue - Shaoxing Opera originated in Shaoxing of Zhejiang province and is popular
in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Anhui province and Shanghai. At first, all of the
performers were male. But since the 1990s, all the roles were played by female performers.
The tunes of this opera are mild and round about, and the action is meticulous.
It became the second largest opera form next to Beijing Opera. Renowned performers
include Yuan Xuefen, Wang Wenjuan and Xu Yulan. Representative plays are Butterfly
Lovers, A Dream of Red Mansions, etc.
Yu - Henan Opera is the local opera of Henan province and prevalent in Henan
and neighbor. Yu Opera is played with a bright, loud sound, alternating with
sorrowful tone. There are about 650 traditional plays, of which Hua Mulan, A Petty
Official, etc. are the most famous. Well-known performers include Chang Xiangyu,
Ma Jinfeng and Nui Decao.
Huangmei Opera is the local opera of Anhui province and is popular in Anhui and
Jiangxi province. This opera is characterized by dancing while singing. Its tunes
are mild and pleasant, and its movements are natural and graceful. It is also very
close to real life. Renowned performers include Yan Fengying and Ma Lan.
Representative plays are Marrying a fairy, Emperor's Female Son-in-Law, The Cowherd
and the Girl Weaver, etc.
Guangdong Opera is the local opear form of Guangdong province and is also popular
in Guangxi province and southern Fujian province. Overseas Chinese in Southeast
Asia, America, Europe and Oceania, and Hong Kong and Macao SARs are also very fond
of this type of local opera. Guangdong Opera is sung with the Cantonese dialect
and is rather unique in its singing style. The best well-known performers include
Hong Xiannu and Ma Shizeng. Representative plays are Searching the Study, Guan Hanqing,
etc.
Previous Next
