When was Huangmei Opera born?

Huangmei Opera, also known as Huangmei Opera, is one of the local operas in China, which is popular in Anhui, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Hubei, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shanxi and other parts of the country. Huangmei Opera is popular in content, lively in form, fresh in style and melodious in tune. In the early 1960s, his traditional play "The Immortal Couple" was made into a movie, which caused great repercussions throughout the country, and even Hong Kong and Taiwan once set off Huangmei opera fever. However, before the establishment of People's Republic of China (PRC), Huangmei Opera was unjustly described by the rulers as an "immoral ghost play" and was banned. In order to make a living, Huangmei opera artists have to secretly perform in the countryside. Because of the difficulties of life, most artists have never read a book, so the formation and development of Huangmei Opera aria and artists' stage experience are almost all passed down by word of mouth, and even the source of Huangmei Opera can only be circulated in the world in the form of legends.

Regarding the time and place of Huangmei Opera, the most common saying is that the tea-picking tune in Huangmei County, Hubei Province is the embryonic form of Huangmei Opera. In the process of its formation, this minor is integrated with the nearby Jiangxi tune and Fengyang Flower Drum, and is constantly enriched and improved. After Daoguang Qing Dynasty, it was introduced to Anhui and Jiangxi. Influenced by Qingyang Opera, it combined with local folk songs and dances and rap music, and finally formed Huangmei Opera, which took root in Anqing, Anhui.

The second argument is that Zhang Junzhong's "musician" scattered in Huangmei area in the late Ming Dynasty was the "originator" of Huangmei Opera. According to legend, after the defeat of Zhang Peasant Uprising Army in Hubei, most of the talented dancers in the army concentrated in Huangmei area. They make a living by singing and dancing performances, which are loved by local people and imitated by others, so a new form of drama called "Huangmei Opera" has been formed in Huangmei area. The third legend says that Anqing, Anhui Province is a hotbed of Huangmei Opera. In early years, whenever plums turned yellow in early summer, floods often flooded. In order to pray for a bumper harvest, ordinary people hold games to meet the gods and entertain them with songs and dances. Later, a drama was produced on the basis of this song and dance performance, which was related to the Huangmei season, so it was called "Huangmei Opera". Which of these legends is closer to the truth remains to be further verified.