Chinese Opera
• Chinese opera together with Greece tragic-comedy(希腊悲喜剧) and Indian Sanskrit Opera（印度梵语戏剧） are the three oldest dramatic art forms in the world.
• Over the past 800 years, Chinese opera has evolved into many different regional varieties based on local traits and accents. Today, there are over 300 dazzling regional opera styles. Kun opera, which originated around Jiangsu Province, is a typical ancient opera style and features gentleness and clearness. This enabled it to be ranked among the World Oral and Intangible（无形的） Heritages（传统）. Qinqiang opera from Shanxi, known for its loudness and wildness, and Yu opera, Yue opera, and Huangmei Opera are all very enjoyable. Beijing Opera , the best-known Chinese opera style, was formed from the mingling（混合） of these regional styles. Now I will tell you something about them.
Beijing Opera
• Beijing Opera, also called "Eastern Opera," is a principle tradition in Chinese culture. It is called Beijing Opera because it is formed in Beijing.
• Beijing Opera has a history of 200 years in which its fountainhead can be dated back to old local operas, especially Anhui Opera, which was very popular in northern China in the 18th century. In 1790, the first Anhui Opera performance was held in Beijing to celebrate the Emperor's birthday. Later, some other Anhui Opera troupes went on to perform in Beijing. Anhui Opera was easy to move and good at absorbing the acting styles of other types of operas. Beijing accumulated many local operas, which made Anhui Opera improve quickly
• In Beijing opera, there are four roles: the male and female roles, the painted-face role, and the comedic role. Every role has its own specific brands.
Kunqu Opera
• Kunqu Opera, in its development, had different kinds of names, such as kunqiang ,kun tune, kunqu, and so on. Generally speaking, kunqiang is used to express tunes of the opera, and kunqu is used to express oratorio（宗教剧）, while kunqu opera is a kind of opera that means performance arts.
• Kunqu Opera is a comprehensive art that combines singing, dancing, narrating, and acting. The literature, music, and dance of Chinese opera were all perfected and enhanced in the development of Kunqu Opera.
Sichuan Opera
• As a renowned local opera mainly prevailing in Southwestern China‘s Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou provinces, Sichuan Opera is characterized by unique solos（独奏曲）, refined acting, rich percussion（打击乐器）, and talented comedians, whose skills are unparalleled in the world.
Qinqiang
• Qinqiang Opera is a local Chinese opera that mainly thrives in North China's Shanxi Province, as well as its neighboring northwestern regions, like Gansu and Qinghai provinces and the Ningxia Hui and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions.
Huangmei Opera
• Huangmei Opera was originally called "Huangmei tune" or "tea-picking opera." It was a folk opera that was formed in the regions of Anhui, Hubei, and Jiangxi at the end of the 18th century. One of the brands shifted to Huaining County, which was the center of Anqing, and mixed with its local art, using its local language to sing and narrate.
• Chinese opera evolved from folk songs, dances, talking, antimasque（滑稽戏）, and especially distinctive dialectical （方言的）music. Gradually it combined music, art and literature into one performance on the stage. For Chinese, especially older folks, to listen to this kind of opera is a real pleasure.I hope our students enjoy it too.
