Types of Chinese Opera?

Kunqu, also known as "Kunqiang" and "Kun Opera", is an ancient type of opera. It originated in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, and began to flourish after the middle of the Ming Dynasty, when most of the legendary plays were sung in Kunqu. In addition to Southern Kunqu, which maintains the characteristics of early Kunqu, many branches have been formed throughout the country, such as Kunyi, Xiangkun and Chuankun in the north. The style of Kunqu is clear, soft, delicate and lyrical, and the performances are full of songs and dances and strict programs, which are representative of Chinese classical opera.

2. Gaoqiang

Gaoqiang is a general term for a kind of vocal system of opera. It was originally known as "Yiyang Cavity" or "Eagle Cavity" because it originated in Yiyang, Jiangxi Province. It is characterized by simple performances, popular lyrics, high-pitched and exciting singing, a person singing and all the people, and only using golden drums to beat the rhythm, without orchestral accompaniment. Since the middle of the Ming Dynasty, it began to spread from Jiangxi to all parts of the country, and formed different styles of Gaoqiang everywhere, such as Sichuan Opera Gaoqiang, Xiang Opera Gaoqiang, Gan Opera Gaoqiang and so on.

3. Bangkang Cavity

Bangkang Cavity is a general name for a kind of vocal system of opera. It originated from the "Shan-Shaanxi Opera" at the junction of Shanxi and Shaanxi, characterized by high-pitched singing and beating with wooden bangs. Then, it developed to the east and south, forming different forms of bangkang in different regions, such as Shanxi Bangkang, Hebei Bangkang, Henan Bangkang, Shandong Bangkang and so on.

4. Peking Opera

Peking Opera, also known as "Pihuang", consists of two basic cadences, "Xipi" and "Erhuang", which make up its musical material. It is composed of two basic tunes, "Xipi" and "Erhuang", and also sings a number of small local tunes (such as liuziqiang and blowing accent) and Kunqu opera songs. It was formed in Beijing around 1840 and flourished in the 1930s and 1940s, when it was known as the "National Opera". Nowadays, it is still a big opera with national influence. It is a representative of modern Chinese opera, with its comprehensive lineage, mature performances, and grandeur.

5. Evaluation Opera

Evaluation Opera was formed in the late Qing Dynasty on the basis of the small song "Counterpart Lotus Flower" in Luanxian County of Hebei Province, which was popular in the rural areas of Hebei Province first, and then entered Tangshan Province, called "Tangshan Lok Zi", and became popular in the northeast region in the 1920s, with the emergence of a group of female performers. After the 1930s, under the influence of Peking Opera, Hebei Opera and other styles, the performance of Pingju Opera became more mature, with the emergence of schools such as Bai Yushang, Xi Cailian and Ailianjun, etc. After 1950, plays such as Liu Qiao'er, Flower as Matchmaker, Yang Sanjie's Complaint and Qin Xianglian had a great influence on the whole country, and famous performers such as Xin Fenghia, Bai Yushang Jr. and Wei Rongyuan appeared. Famous actors such as Xin Fengxia, Xiao Bai Yushang and Wei Rongyuan appeared. Now the opera is still popular in Hebei and Beijing

6. Hebei Opera

Hebei Opera, popular in Hebei and Beijing, originated from Shan-Shan Opera at the junction of Shan and Shaanxi, and spread to Hebei through Shanxi, combining the dialects of Hebei and Beijing to form the opera. It maintains the characteristics of the clapper cavity with the banging and beating of the knuckles, and the singing voice is soaring and agitated that it is good at performing tragic plots. Famous plays of Hebei Opera include Butterfly Cup, Regulator Chopper, Du Shiniang, etc.

7. Jin Opera

Jin Opera, also known as "Zhonglu Bangzi", was developed from Shan-Shan Opera, which is located at the border of Shanxi and Shaanxi, and was formed by combining the characteristics of the Shanxi language. It is now popular in central Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and Hebei. It maintains the characteristics of the clapper clapper with banging knuckles, and the music style is soft and delicate in addition to being high-pitched. The performances are popular and simple. Famous plays include "Playing the Golden Branch", "Small Feast" and "Selling Paintings and Splitting Doors".

8, Pu Opera

Pu Opera, also known as "Puzhou Bangkas", is developed by the Shanxi, Shaanxi junction of the Shan-Shaanxi Bangkas, which is said to be the original Shan-Shaanxi Bangkas. It is now popular in the southwest of Shanxi and the area of Shaanxi and Henan, and is similar to Qinqiang in sound and Shaanxi dialect in language. Famous plays include Hanging Pictures, Killing Dogs, and Killing Stagecoaches.

9. Shangdang Bangkas

Shangdang Bangkas, one of the four major bangkas of Shanxi, was developed from "Puzhou Bangkas" in southwestern Shanxi, and is popular in the Shangdang area of southeastern Shanxi. In addition to the clapper, it also sings Kunqu, Pihuang, and Luoluo cavities. The repertoire includes "Three Passes and a Banquet" and "East Gate Meeting".

10. Yan Opera

Yan Opera, also known as "North Road Opera", was developed from "Puzhou Opera" and is popular in the northern part of Shanxi Province, as well as in Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province and Inner Mongolia. It is said to have had a great influence on the formation of Hebei Opera. The repertoire includes "Blood Handprints" and "Jinshui Bridge".

11. Qinqiang

Qinqiang, a local opera in Shaanxi Province, also known as "Shaanxi Bangzi", is the earliest Bangzi opera, which was formed around the middle of the Ming Dynasty. The performance is rough and simple, the singing voice is high and exciting, and its voice is like a roar, which is good at expressing tragic plots. The repertoire includes Butterfly Cup, Turtle Mountain and Three Drops of Blood.

12, two-people stage

Two-people stage, popular in Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Hebei Zhangjiakou area of the opera, formed on the basis of the Inner Mongolia folk songs and Shanxi folk tunes, and later absorbed the performance of the Jin Opera elements and gradually mature. The performance has a strong flavor of life, and the lyrics are popular. The repertoire is mostly small plays that express the rural life, such as "Going to the West" and "Five Brothers Herding Sheep".

13, Ji opera

Ji opera, popular in Jilin Province, the 1950s in the Northeast "two people" on the basis of the development of the tune of the light, the words of the popular, the performance of simple and hot, plays such as "Yanqing sell line", "Bao Gong compensation" and so on.

14, Longjiang Opera

Longjiang Opera, popular in the Heilongjiang region, in the 1950s in the Northeast, "two people", Lafang Opera, shadow play and the local folk songs on the basis of the formation of the performance of light-hearted and humorous, vulgar lyrics. The repertoire includes "Double Locked Mountain" and "Arakudo Baoyu".

15, Yu Opera

Yu Opera, also known as "Henan Opera". It was developed in the late Ming Dynasty by combining Henan dialect and folk tunes with Shan-Shaan opera, and is now popular in Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong and other provinces. The original Yu Dong tune, Yu Xi tune, Xiang Fu tune, Sha He tune four major schools, now Yu Dong, Yu Xi tune is the main. There have been famous Dan actors such as Chang Xiangyu, Chen Suzhen, Cui Lantian, Ma Jinfeng, Yan Lipin, etc. The repertoire includes Mu Guiying Hanging Up. The repertoire includes Mu Guiying Hanging up the Marshalship, The Red Lady, Flower Fighting Dynasty, The Pair of Flower Guns and the modern opera Chaoyang Gully.

16, Yuezhong

Yuezhong, Henan local theater, popular in Henan and northern Hubei, because of the "four strings" as the main accompaniment, so also known as "four strings". The music is mainly in the form of plate cadences, but also sings the song. Famous actors include Shen Fengmei. The repertoire includes "Collecting Jiang Wei", "Li Tianbao's Invitation to Marriage", and "Zhuge Liang's Hanging of Filial Piety".

17, Henan Qu Opera

Henan Qu Opera, Henan Province, the local theater, popular in Henan Province and northwestern Hubei Province, by the development of the qu art "Henan Quzi". It has a soft and gentle singing style and is characterized by tragic content. The repertoire includes "The Rolling of the Mat", "Chen Sanliang", and "The Meeting of the Flower Pavilion". （

18, Shandong Opera

Shandong Opera, Shandong Province, the local theater, popular in Shandong Province, around the Heze area, because of its ancient name "Caozhou", so it is also known as "Caozhou Opera". It is also known as "Caozhou Bangkas" because of its ancient name, "Caozhou". It was formed by the Shan-Shaan Bangkas, which were imported to Shandong through Henan Province, and has undergone changes. The main repertoire includes "The Story of the Wall".

19, Lv Opera

Lv Opera, Shandong Province, a local opera, popular in central Shandong, Jiangsu and Henan, was developed in the early 20th century from the folk rap art of "Shandong qinshu," and was named "Lv Opera" in 1950. The performance of Lv Opera is rich in the flavor of life, vulgar and simple, and the singing tunes are simple, easy to learn and easy to sing. Therefore, Lu Opera has a great influence in the rural areas. The repertoire includes "Wang Dingbao Borrowing Pawn", "Xiao Guxian" and the modern drama "Li Er Sister-in-law Remarried".

20, Huai Opera

Huai Opera, a local opera in Jiangsu Province, is popular in Jiangsu, Shanghai and Anhui and other regions. It originated from Jiangsu folk theater, and then absorbed the artistic factors of Huizhou Opera and gradually matured. Its performance is rough and simple. The repertoire includes traditional plays such as "Female Trial", "Three Women Robbing the Board", and new plays such as "Golden Dragon and Mayfly"

21. Shanghai Opera

Shanghai Opera, a popular local opera in Shanghai, originated from the folk songs of Pudong, Shanghai, and then formed into Shanghai Tangling tunes, which were influenced by Suzhou Tangling. in the 1930s, it was performed as civilized operas in Shanghai, and was named Shanghai Opera. The repertoire is mostly modern, such as "Crowing and Laughing in Marriage", "Lohan Money", and "Ludang Fire".

22, burlesque

Burlesque, popular in Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang and other places of the opera. Originated from Shanghai's "one-man show", later developed into a burlesque opera, tunes mixed, comical performances. The main repertoire includes "Sanmao Student's Idea" and "One, Two, Three, March".

23. Yueju Opera

Yueju Opera is a local opera popular in Zhejiang Province. It originated from the "Dudu Class" in Sheng County, Zhejiang Province, and entered Shanghai around 1916, performing under the name of "Shaoxing Literary Opera". The name "Yueju Opera" was used after 1938, and in 1942 the female actors of Yueju Opera, led by Yuan Xuefen, transformed their performance and singing, absorbing the strengths of drama and kunqu, and forming a soft and delicate style of performance. There are many artistic schools such as Yuan (Xuefen), Yin (Guifang), Fan (Ruijuan), Fu (Quanxiang) and Xu (Yulan) schools. The repertoire of Yueju Opera includes "Sisterhood of the Xianglin Sisters", "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai", "Dream of the Red Chamber", "Five Daughters Bidding for a Happy Birthday", "The Story of the West Wing", etc.

24, wu opera

Wu opera, popular in the area of jinhua, zhejiang province, the local theater, also known as "jinhua opera". It is a multi-voiced theater. Its voice cavity consists of Gaoqiang, Kunqu, Tanlong, Hui tune and so on, each of which has its own repertoire and performance characteristics. The repertoire includes "The Meeting of Monks and Nuns", "The Peony Pairing Class", "Broken Bridge" and so on.

25. Shao Opera

Shao Opera, popular in Shaoxing and Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, is a local opera, formed in the late Ming Dynasty. With "Sanwuqi" and "Erfan" as its main vocal cadences, the opera is characterized by martial arts performances, and its style is rough and simple. The repertoire includes "Three Beatings of the White Bone Demon", "Dragon and Tiger", and "Hanging the Uncanny".

26, Hui Opera

Hui Opera, popular in Anhui, Jiangsu and other regions of the opera, formed in the mid-Qing Dynasty, the Department of multi-vocal theater, the main vocal cavity for the plucked, blowing cavity, Erhuang, but also sung by the Kunqu, Gaoqiang and Xipi. 1790, Hui Ban went to the Beijing for the birthday celebrations of Qianlong, and then evolved into the Beijing Opera. The repertoire is mostly historical, such as "Flooding the Seven Armies," which is based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

27, Huangmei Opera

Huangmei Opera, originated in Anhui opera genre, popular in Anhui, Jiangxi and Hubei. Its predecessor is the Huangmei region of the tea-picking tune, the mid-Qing dynasty after the formation of folk theater, called "Huangmei tune", sung in the Anqing dialect. 1950s in the reform of Yan Fengying and others, the performance is becoming more mature, and the development of Anhui's local opera. Famous plays include "The Match of Heavenly Immortals," "The Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden," and "Female Emperor's Son-in-Law," among others.

28, Min Opera

Min Opera, popular in the Fujian region of the opera. Rise in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty has been basically formed, but on a smaller scale. the early 20th century, the influence of Peking Opera is growing in size, the basic voice is complete, including teasing cavity, foreign songs, Jianghu, ditties and five kinds of plate song. The repertoire includes "Refining the Seal" and "Swan Feast".

29, Putian opera

Putian opera, Fujian local theater, formerly known as the "Xinghua play", the middle of the Ming Dynasty has fully matured, popular in Putian, Xianyou area. The music is in the form of a song, and the performances are quite ancient and elegantly lyrical. The repertoire includes Zhang Xie Scholar, After the Reunion, and Spring Grass Breaking into the Hall.

30, Liyuan Opera

Liyuan Opera, a kind of opera with a long history, can be regarded as the "living fossil" of opera. It has preserved many southern operas of the Song and Yuan dynasties, such as "Zhu Wen Goes to the Ghost", "Jing, Liu, Bays, Kills", etc. After the 1950s, it organized and performed "Dong Sheng and Li", "Setsubun", etc. It is the first time that a Chinese opera is staged in China.

31. Gaojia Opera

Gaojia Opera, popular in Fujian Jinjiang and Longxi, originated in the middle of the Qing Dynasty, and then absorbed the performance factors and repertoire of Liyuan Opera and gradually grew into a large scale, and then was influenced by Peking Opera in the 1920's. It is mainly composed of clown roles, and the main role is to play the role of a clown in the opera. It takes clown as the main role, performing like a puppet with strings, which is very distinctive. The repertoire includes "Rising Three Levels in a Row" and "Jin Kuixing".

32, Gan Opera

Gan Opera, popular in northeastern Jiangxi Province, the opera genre, developed from the Ming Dynasty's Yiyang opera, is composed of Yiyang opera, Qingyang opera, Kun opera, chaotic bombing, and other vocal varieties of the opera. The repertoire includes Dou'e Grievance, The Story of the Thorn Hairpin, The Story of the Pearl, and The Story of the Return of the Soul.

33, tea-picking opera

Tea-picking opera, popular in Jiangxi opera plays, mainly sung by local tea farmers picking tea songs and dances combined with the development of folk songs and dances. Jiangxi tea-picking opera sub-division of East, South, West, North, Medium different paths, each with its own characteristics in the performance. The repertoire includes "Sun Cheng playing wine" and so on.

34, Han Opera

Han Opera, generally refers to the popularity of Hubei, Henan, Shaanxi and other places of the opera, originating in Hubei region, formerly known as the "Chu tune" or "Han tune", the main voice of the West Piqiang, and also sang in the Erhuang cavity, and has been nearly three hundred years of history so far. It has a history of nearly three hundred years. The main repertoire includes "Cosmic Frontier", "Erdu Mei", "Trial of Tao Da", etc. Also, in Changde, Hunan Province and Guangdong Province, there is a large number of Chinese opera performances. There are also Han Operas in Changde, Hunan Province, and Guangdong Province, which are multi-chambered and very different from the Hubei Han Opera.

35, Xiang Opera

Xiang Opera, the local opera of Hunan Province, is popular in Changsha and Xiangtan, originating from the Yiyang Opera of the Ming Dynasty, and then absorbing the Kun Opera and Pihuang Opera, forming a multi-cavity opera that includes the high-cavity, low-cavity, Kun Opera, and the chaotic bomb. The repertoire is dominated by high-cavity and chaotic play, such as Pipa Tale, White Rabbit Tale, and Moon Worship Tale.

36, Qi Opera

Qi Opera, also known as "Qiyang Opera", popular in Hunan Qiyang, Shaoyang area, originated in the Ming Dynasty Yiyang cavity, the voice cavity to the main high-cavity, and also sang Kunqu, playing cavity. The repertoire includes "The Legend of Megilian", "The Legend of Jingzhong", "The Husbandman's Play", "The Guanyin Play", and so on.

37, Hunan Flower Drum Opera

Hunan Flower Drum Opera is a general term for flower drum and lantern operas from all over Hunan, including Changsha Flower Drum, Yueyang Flower Drum, Changde Flower Drum, Hengyang Flower Drum, Shaoyang Flower Drum, etc., which each have a different stage language and form their own style. The performances of the Flower Drum Opera are simple, cheerful and lively, with the line of Xiao Sheng, Xiao Dan and Xiao Clown as the main characters, and long in the use of fan towels. The repertoire includes "Fighting Birds" and "Liu Hai Chopping Woodcutter".

38, Cantonese Opera

Cantonese Opera, popular in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia and other Cantonese-speaking areas. Formed in the early Qing Dynasty, it is a combination of imported voices such as Gaoqiang, Kunqiang, Pihuang, and Bangkang, and local folk music. The music is in the form of a combination of plate cadences and quqiqi. The repertoire includes "Searching the Academy" and "Guan Hanqing".

39, Chiu Chow Opera

Chiu Chow Opera is popular in Shantou, Guangdong, southern Fujian and Taiwan. It is mainly influenced by foreign imports in the Yiyang cavity, the Kun cavity and the Han tune, and was formed in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. It has preserved many Song and Yuan works in its repertoire, such as Chen San Wu Niang, Sweeping the Window Club, and Lulin Club, etc. It is also a favorite of the Chinese opera industry.

40, Gui Opera

Gui Opera, popular in northeastern Guangxi and southern Hunan, was formed in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, with a singing style dominated by Pihuang, and also sung in the cadences of Kun, Gao, and Blow. The repertoire includes "Robbing the Umbrella", "Picking Up the Jade Bracelet", "The Edge of the Cabinet", etc.

41, Caixiang

Caixiang, formerly known as "Tune" or "Caicha", is popular in the Guangxi region. Formed on the basis of local folk songs and dances, it has a history of nearly two hundred years and was named "Caixiang" in 1955. Its performances are free and lively, rich in the flavor of life. The most famous play is "Liu Sanjie".

42, Zhuang Opera

Zhuang Opera, popular in Guangxi, Yunnan and other Zhuang-inhabited areas of the opera, is divided into two schools of the South Road and North Road. The former originated from the local "bench play", the main plays are "Wenlong and Shawnee"; the latter originated from the "double reed play", the main plays are "Baohulu".

43. Sichuan Opera

Sichuan Opera, a local opera in Sichuan Province, is popular in Sichuan and its surrounding areas. It consists of Kun Cavity, Gao Cavity, Huqin, Bouncing Opera, and Lantern Opera, each with its own repertoire. The singing of Sichuan opera is high and exciting, and the performance is witty and humorous, rich in the flavor of life. The main repertoire includes traditional plays such as The Jade Hairpin, The Willow Shade, and Catching Wang Kui Alive, as well as new plays such as Dead Water, Changing Faces, and Gold.

44, Qian Opera

Qian Opera, popular in Guizhou Province, is a local opera, developed from the opera "Wenqin", which is mainly accompanied by the yangqin, with strong local characteristics. The repertoire includes "Zhuniang Langmei" and "Lady Xuxiang".

45, Dian Opera

Dian Opera, popular in Yunnan and parts of Sichuan and Guizhou, a local theater, formed in the late Qing Dynasty. It consists of three kinds of vocal cadences, namely, silk string, Xiangyang tune and Huqin opera, with the silk string cadence being the main one. The repertoire includes "Niu Gao Pulling the Purpose" and "Breaking into the Palace".

46, Dai Opera

Dai Opera, popular in Yunnan Province, Dai settlement, formed in the middle of the Qing Dynasty, originated from the local folk songs and dances, and absorbed the Beijing Opera, Dian Opera and the formation of the artistic nutrition. With erhu as the main accompanying instrument, the performance is simple and ancient, carrying songs and dances. The repertoire includes "E and Sang Luo" and so on.

47, Tibetan Opera

Tibetan Opera, that is, popular in Tibet, Qinghai and other Tibetan-inhabited areas of the opera, sung in Tibetan. Formed in the seventeenth century, mainly Buddhist stories and folklore as the performance content. Actors wear masks when performing. The performance is divided into three parts, the first part is the opening, called "Dun"; the second part of the play, called "Xiong"; the third part of the end of the blessing, called "Zaxi". The repertoire is best known as "Princess Wencheng".

48, shadow play

Shadow play, also known as "shadow play", "light and shadow play", "earth shadow play". With the light irradiation animal skin or cardboard carved into the silhouette of the characters to perform the story of the drama. The repertoire and singing style are mostly influenced by local operas, and are performed by artists who manipulate and sing at the same time, accompanied by music. Chinese shadow theater has a history of more than a thousand years. Due to the popularity of different regions, singing tunes and silhouette materials, many categories and types of theater have been formed, with the donkey shadow in the Tangshan area of Hebei Province and the cowhide shadow in Northwest China being the most famous. Among them, Tangshan shadow has developed into a comprehensive art with exquisite carving techniques, dexterous manipulation skills and lyrical singing music.