How did Guangdong Cantonese Opera come into being?

There are different opinions about the emergence and formation of Cantonese Opera. However, it is generally believed that Cantonese opera began to sprout in the middle of the Ming Dynasty and was bred in the local class. According to historical records, Qionghua Guild Hall was established in Foshan, Guangzhou and other places as early as Jiajing to Wanli in Ming Dynasty. After continuous development, Cantonese Opera with the theme of "Bang Huang" has gradually formed, which is actually a combination of Yiyang Opera and Kunqu Opera in Jiangxi, Nanyin, Dragon Boat, Muyu, Yuefu and Xianshui Songs popular in Guangdong and Guangdong instrumental music. Until the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, it gradually evolved into singing music that integrated North and South, China and foreign countries, and was sung in Guangzhou dialect, thus forming a local opera with distinctive Lingnan characteristics-Cantonese opera. The unique feature of Cantonese opera, which is different from other provinces, is that it not only belongs to the category of China's freehand drama, but also has a light, smooth, novel and changeable personality and enjoys the reputation of "Southern Red Bean".

In the 1920s and 1930s, Cantonese opera entered its heyday, with more repertoires and diversified vocals, which created a large number of famous singers and genres. At the same time, it absorbs local operas and northern martial arts, making the performing arts of Cantonese opera more colorful and mature. It is necessary to innovate stage art and scenery, attract advanced scientific and technological means such as sound, light, electricity and culture, and increase the charm of Cantonese opera, so that Cantonese opera can become a local opera with strong Lingnan characteristics, penetrate into thousands of households, develop from Guangzhou and the Pearl River Delta, the economic and cultural center of Lingnan, to the places where Cantonese speakers live in Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macao, Shanghai and Taiwan Province provinces, and spread to the United States, Canada and Southeast Asia.