What plays are there in Yunnan?

The south of the magical and beautiful colorful clouds is not only the hometown of singing and dancing, but also another fertile ground for the growth of drama. The variety and style of drama here are rich and varied, including drama, Yunnan opera, Beijing opera, Lantern opera, Kunqu opera, Sichuan opera, Pingju opera and so on. Among them, there are four kinds of operas with local characteristics: Yunnan Opera and Lantern of Han nationality, and local operas such as Bai Opera, Zhuang Opera, Dai Opera and Yi Opera of ethnic minorities. Wu Weimin, president of Yunnan Art College, once praised Yunnan as a living fossil of drama.

Drama has a long history in Yunnan. After investigation by experts, the shadow of early Yunnan drama was found in Cangyuan rock paintings in Lincang, Yunnan about 3000 years ago. Drama is also found in the original rock paintings of Dawangyan in Malipo County, Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan Province, the images in the ancient tomb of Shizhaishan in Jinning County, and the legends of Dai and Yi people. Some experts in Yunnan also believe that Yuanmou, the birthplace of mankind, is another cradle of drama art.

Maximum original ecology

Yunnan ethnic drama has a long history and various forms. Experts believe that the original ecology of Yunnan ethnic drama is a major feature of China's drama. Its original ecological dramas include: animal drama, labor drama, sacrifice and exile drama and game drama. Most of these drama forms are unique to the local area and have been passed down to this day. This kind of original ecological drama is not only reflected in the four national dramas of Bai, Dai, Yi and Zhuang, but also in many others.

Yunnan Opera's Integration into Regional Culture

Yunnan Opera, the main local drama of the Han nationality in Yunnan, was formed earlier, bred for a long time and named later. It was called "Dianqu" in Ming Dynasty, and it was called "singing opera", "acting", "Dianqu" or "Yunnan opera" before the Revolution of 1911. Later, due to the introduction of foreign operas into Yunnan, the name Yunnan Opera appeared in the Republic of China for the sake of distinction. The musical tunes of Yunnan Opera come from all kinds of resounding tunes all over the country, and their tunes are mainly Sixian, Xiangyang and Huqin. Yunnan Opera is centered in Kunming and spread all over Dali, Baoshan, Tengchong, Lincang, Chuxiong, Mengzi, Gejiu, Yuxi, Tonghai, Qujing and Yiliang. In recent decades, Yunnan opera has also adapted and produced some excellent plays.

Lantern Opera is as famous as Yunnan Opera. Its development history can be described as a history of comprehensive differentiation. It is very popular in Yunnan province, and also in parts of Sichuan province and Guizhou province. It is a kind of drama with song and dance as the main form, which has been passed down to this day and developed around the Qing Dynasty. Lantern is an artistic activity differentiated from religious activities, which is characterized by dancing, singing and walking. Lantern singing consists of three parts: Ming and Qing folk songs, Yunnan folk songs, folk songs outside the province and other tunes.

The reason why Yunnan Opera and Lantern Opera can be called "big operas" lies not only in their extensive influence, but also in their own development and maturity, and also in their influence on other national operas.

Yunnan's "Four National Dramas"

Bai Opera is a drama form of the Bai people in Dali, Yunnan Province. It is popular in Dali, Yunlong and Eryuan counties. It was originally named "Chui Chui Qiang" and "Big Ben Zhong Qu". It is a Bai folk song influenced by Yunnan opera, with more than 30 tunes and suona. There are both white and Chinese languages, and there are many traditional plays with a history of 200 years.

Zhuang opera, Yunnan Zhuang opera is a folk song and dance minor of Zhuang nationality. Influenced by Guangxi Zhuang opera and Han opera, it was performed during Tongzhi and Guangxu periods in Qing Dynasty. In addition to the common erhu, sanxian and gongs and drums, there are also some special musical instruments, such as local erhu, local gongs and drums, manggong, crisp drum and tuba.

Dai opera is popular in Dehong Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan. Dai opera is developed from folk songs and dances, and its repertoire includes historical legends and folk stories. Dai drama is divided into Dehong Dai drama and Xishuangbanna Dai drama. Dehong Dai opera can be roughly divided into male voice and female voice, each of which has its own subdivision. According to the roles and ages of performers, their vocals are also different. Different regions have also caused different opera tunes.

Yi opera, which is popular in Chuxiong, is also influenced by Han opera, and it has been performed in the form of song and dance for more than 200 years. His first play, The Separation of Azuo, was written according to ethnic and religious scriptures during the Qianlong period. The style of Yi Opera is characterized by national characteristics and songs and dances.