What is the history of China opera?

China opera art has a long history and profound tradition. The origin of traditional drama in China can be traced back to music and dance, Nuo opera and Bai opera in Qin and Han Dynasties. In the Tang dynasty, there was great development, and there were musical dramas and military dramas. "Drama" and "Qu" are further integrated, and the performance forms are more diverse. During the Song and Jin Dynasties, the art of traditional Chinese opera became mature. Both Song Zaju and Jin Yuan can perform complete stories, and the roles in the drama have also increased, initially forming an independent drama performance system. The creation and performance of traditional Chinese operas in the Yuan Dynasty were unprecedentedly prosperous, and a number of outstanding playwrights and works emerged. Yuan Zaju plays an important role in the history of China's traditional operas, and many works have made great achievements in ideology and artistry, among which the most famous ones are Guan Hanqing's Dou Eyuan and Wang Shifu's The West Chamber, which can be regarded as the immortal works of world drama art. Ming and Qing Dynasties is another prosperous period in the history of China opera, especially a large number of legendary works appeared, including The Peony Pavilion by Tang Xianzu, which is an epoch-making romantic masterpiece in the history of China opera.