The Origin of Guizhou Lantern Opera

Guizhou folk lantern dance has a long history, which originated in the Tang and Song Dynasties. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, lanterns were popular in Xujiaba, Wenjiadian, Daheba, Dabachang and Tangtou.

At first, it was a "duet", in which the dance movements such as gatefight, eagle spreading its wings, fish playing in water, flowers on the knees and Su Qin's negative sword were very representative, singing and dancing, which was very touching.

In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, three people appeared, one man and two women called "Twin Peaks and Chaoyang", or "Two Men and One Woman" called "Double Lions Playing Ball". In some places, two men and two women are called "double lights". Dan Jiao, also called Yao Mei, disguised as a man, wore a fake braid, a headscarf, a flowered skirt, a silk folding fan in her right hand and a colored towel in her left hand. Clown, also called brother gan, wears a fur coat, a belt, a melon hat on his head and a big cattail leaf fan in his right hand. Brother gan revolves around his sister, singing and dancing with each other. Gange's dance movements are colorful and humorous.

According to local chronicles from Kangxi to Daoguang years in Qing Dynasty, lanterns were popular in Fuquan, Zunyi and Kaiyang at that time. During the Lantern Festival, children put on all kinds of paper lanterns and sing and play music, which is called "Lantern Festival", or male makeup Tang Er, female makeup lazy sister-in-law, holding towels and fans, both dance, which is called "Lantern Dance". 19 15 "Weng' an county annals and customs chapter" contains "asking zaju", which shows that there has been a lantern show at the latest. Guizhou Lantern Opera has different names in the province: northern Guizhou and western Guizhou are called "Lantern Clip Opera"; Dushan area is called "desk lamp"; Sinan and Yinjiang are called "Gao Tai Opera" or "Lantern Opera".

During the light years of the Qing Dynasty, the Guizhou Lantern Opera "Xiangluopa" was changed from an indoor performance to a low-level performance in the courtyard dam, which was called a low-level drama.

In Guangxu 18 of Qing Dynasty, Luo Fanglin, a native of Sinan, returned to his hometown from Yunnan, and set up a formal stage in Luojiaba, his hometown, putting the short stage play of Tujia people on the high platform. Gao Tai Opera House got its name from this. The formation of Gao Tai Opera with strong national characteristics immediately shocked the whole county and even crossed the county boundaries. Regardless of weddings, funerals and celebrations, people are scrambling to invite the troupe to play.

By the end of the Qing Dynasty, influenced by foreign drama culture, it had developed into a Lantern Opera-Gao Tai Opera, which was a great leap in the history of Lantern Festival.