Classification of folk operas

China has a long history and a vast territory. There are more than 360 kinds of folk dramas in various ethnic minorities and regions. We divide them into six systems according to their circulation and traditional titles.

Deng Hua's plays [are popular in Yunnan]

Lantern Opera is mainly spread in the southwest of China, among which Sichuan Lantern Opera, Guizhou Lantern Opera and Yunnan Lantern Opera are more important. It originated from the folk lantern dance, which was originally performed by local farmers to celebrate the harvest or the Spring Festival, that is, lanterns were surrounded on the flat ground, singing and dancing, filled with festive atmosphere, and then gradually developed into a lantern show to perform stories. Its performance is characterized by singing, which is rarely stated, with Dan and ugliness as the main roles, and its singing is simple and lively. Representative repertoires include New Year's greetings, three visits to relatives, and Sanjie Liu carrying water.

Huaguqu

Mainly spread in the south of China, in the south, ancient paintings and operas have even become synonymous with folk operas. The important flower drum operas in China are Hunan Flower Drum Opera, Hubei Flower Drum Opera and Southern Anhui Flower Drum Opera. Its singing is characterized by the presence of people and the accompaniment of gongs and drums. Representative plays include Hunan ancient painting drama "Liu Hai Pi Chai", Hubei ancient painting drama "Selling Cotton Yarn", "Embroidering Pouch" and Southern Anhui ancient painting drama "Fengyang Ancient Painting".

Tea-picking opera [a popular local opera in Jiangxi]

The main places of transmission are Jiangxi and Guangdong (Guangdong). It is a kind of folk opera with strong singing and dancing, which originated from tea-picking lamp, also called tea basket lamp. It mainly describes the labor of tea pickers, and it is a form of song and dance expression formed by the combination of tea picking songs and folk dances sung by folk tea farmers when picking tea. This performance has a strong flavor of life. With the interesting dance movements, the clown should take "short steps" and Xiao Dan should perform "fan flowers", which adds visual art elements. Representative plays include "Looking at Sisters", "Tea Picking Songs", "Bamboo Shoots" and "Eating Snails".

yangge opera

Mainly spread in the north, but also in the south. Some people think that it was originally a song sung by southern farmers when transplanting rice seedlings, which is suitable for the south. In the north, it should be called "Yangko" precisely, because in traditional folk beliefs, the earth is Yang, hell is Yin, the gods are Yang and ghosts are Yin. The song that entertains ghosts and gods and praises hell is called "Yin Ge", and the song that is sung when offering sacrifices to gods and entertaining people is called Yangko. These "yangko" are sung when people make a fire in society. In a word, yangko is performed in rural festivals or during slack seasons. Its characteristics are makeup performance, heavy dancing without heavy singing, big movements and big turning points, which are very attractive in expressing folk customs and life interests. The more important ones are Yangko in southern Shaanxi, Yangko in northern Shaanxi, Yangko in Dingxian, Hebei and Yangko in Qitai, Shanxi. His representative works include Sanliu Cart (Taiyuan Yangko), Cherry Delivery, Jujube, Watching Yangko and Stealing Pumpkin (Qitai Yangko).

Taoist drama

Taoist drama is developed on the basis of Taoist rap, which is mainly spread in Shanxi, Jiangxi, Gansu and Hubei. It is said that Taoist sentiment originated from the "Jing Yun" sung by Taoism in the Taoist temple in the Tang Dynasty, and its style is poetic praise. Later, it absorbed epigrams and qupai and evolved into folk sermon singing. It is characterized in that when singing, the lead singer embraces the fishing drum, holds a simple board and rap with clapping hands, and five or six people sing with the accompaniment of bamboo flute, Hu Si and banhu. The content is dominated by myths and historical events, which is difficult to understand. Of course, there are also manifestations of daily life. The more important ones are Jiangxi Daoqing, Shanxi Daoqing, Shaanxi Daoqing and Henan Daoqing.

Prop game

The main feature is that the opera content is performed with the help of artificial idols, shadow puppets or masks, rather than being directly played by actors. There are mainly puppet shows, shadow plays and Nuo plays.

Puppet show is a theatrical performance in which puppets are manipulated by performers, also called "puppet show". It is often dominated by dialogue, or accompanied by singing and dancing. It expresses dramatic conflicts and reflects social life in a virtual, fantasy and exaggerated way. It is funny and concise, with a comic style. Its performance requires a high degree of harmony and unity between performers and puppets in action, language and emotion.

Shadow play developed from paper-cutting and originated in Xi 'an, Shaanxi. At first, it was cut into side figures with paper, and then it was gradually made of translucent donkey skin, sheepskin and cowhide, which was more durable. It is made of animal leather as props, and then projected on a white square screen with lights, and the audience sits in the dark to watch.

Nuo opera, which originated from folk witchcraft, is mainly used to drive away epidemic ghosts, and its characteristics are that actors wear ferocious and horrible masks to perform. Mainly spread in southwest Guizhou. In recent years, the Divine Spectrum of Fan and Drum was discovered in Renzhuang, Quwo County, Shanxi Province, and six Nuo opera programs were preserved. The study of Nuo opera involves many disciplines such as religion, ethnology and folklore, which needs further exploration.