What kind of drama does Huangmei Opera belong to?

Huangmei opera, formerly known as Huangmei tune or tea-picking opera, originated in Huangmei, Hubei Province and developed in Anqing, Anhui Province.

Huangmei Opera is one of the five major operas in China and the main one in Anhui Province. Hubei, Jiangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Taiwan Province Province also have professional or amateur Huangmei Opera performance groups, which are widely welcomed.

Huangmei Opera is simple and fluent in singing, good at lively lyricism and rich in expressive force. The performance is simple and meticulous, and it is famous for its truthfulness and vividness.

The development history of Huangmei Opera can be roughly divided into three stages:

The first stage, from the last years of Qing Qianlong to around the Revolution of 1911. Huangmei Tea Picking Tune, Jiangxi Tune, Tongcheng Tune and Fengyang Tune, which originated and spread in Anhui, Hubei and Jiangxi, were influenced by local operas (Qingyang Tune and Huizhou Tune) and combined with folk arts such as Lianxiang, stilts and dry boats, and gradually formed some operas. Further development, it absorbed the performance content and forms of folk art form "Luohanzhuang" and Qingyang tune and Huizhou tune, thus producing a complete story. There is also a transitional form from small drama to this kind of drama, which is called "string drama" by old artists. The so-called "string play" is a group of independent and interrelated dramas, some of which are "string" by events and some are "string" by people. The story of "cross-dressing" is richer than that of a small play, and the characters appear in it have also broken through three small areas: Clown, Xiao Dan and Xiao Sheng. Some old roles need to be played by Zheng Dan, Lao Sheng and Lao Ugly. This created conditions for the production of this play.

The second stage is from the Revolution of 1911 to 1949. At this stage, Huangmei Opera gradually moved towards professionalism, and stepped onto the urban stage from the rural grass-roots team. After Huangmei Opera entered the city, it was combined with Beijing Opera, and was influenced by Yue Opera, Yang Opera, Huai Opera and Pingju Opera from the north in Shanghai. Great changes have taken place in the performance content and form. A number of new plays have been arranged and transplanted, including the series Wen, Hong Bi Yuan, Gorgeous Garden and The Tale of Bees. In music, the traditional singing method has been reformed, which reduces the empty talk in the old cavity, makes it bright and smooth, and makes the audience easy to understand the singing content. Cancel the help and try to accompany Hu Qin. In terms of performance, it absorbed and integrated the procedural movements of Peking Opera and other brother operas, enriching the means of expression. Others, such as clothing, make-up, stage setting, etc., have also developed compared with the grass platform in rural areas.

The third stage is 1949. After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), Huangmei Opera was rapidly restored and developed. 1953 Anhui Huangmei Opera Troupe was established in Hefei. Thirteen counties in Anqing area have also established professional theatrical troupes; 1954 Huangmei Opera "Fairy Match" participated in the East China Opera Observation and Performance Conference and was a success. The play was also made into a film for the second time, which caused a sensation at home and abroad. A number of newly created and adapted outstanding plays, such as Female Ma Xu, Shazigang and Burning Ziyunge, have been staged one after another. During this period, Huangmei Opera also influenced many other provinces, such as Hubei, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jilin and Tibet, and Huangmei Opera Troupe was established one after another. Huangmei Opera, sung in Mandarin and Cantonese, also appeared in Hong Kong and Macau. In the performing arts, through rehearsing new plays and shooting movies, the performance forms of plays and movies have been absorbed, and new development has been made in characterization. In the decades after liberation, Huangmei Opera produced a large number of outstanding actors. In addition to Yan Fengying, Wang Shaofang and other older artists who have made outstanding contributions to the singing art of Huangmei Opera, young and middle-aged actors such as Ma Lan and Han Zaifen have also shown superb acting skills on stage, screen and TV screen, winning the attention and love of the audience.