Appreciate the Most Ancient Opera in China

Anhui, with the Old Course of the Yellow River in the north and the drainage area of Huaihe River in the south, lies in the meeting area of the two cultural origins of the Chinese nation. The long history of Chinese opera has given risen to numerous regional branches each of which is imprinted with the distinctive local culture of the region.

Hui Opera has played a significant role in course of the development of Chinese operas, which carried on the past and opened a new way for the future. It is not only o predecessor of the famous Peking Opera (must-see during your China vacation deals), which is known as the national opera. Hui Opera has also had a historical connection with other 40 local operas both in southern and northern of China with an influence reaching all over the country.

Hui Opera was listed in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage in China in June, 2006.

Origin and History of Hui Opera

Hui Opera originated from the ‘Huichi Refined Melody’ of the Ming Dynasty. During the Emperor Jia Jing’s reign of the Ming Dynasty, the Yiyang Tune of Jiangxi Province came down to the areas of Qingyang County and Guichi District of Anhui. It gradually became the Qiangyang Tune with specially local features. Being affected by folk songs and Kunqu, and opera popular in the southern area of Jiangsu province, the Qingyang Tune developed into today’s Hui Opera.

Hui Opera enjoys a history of more than 300 years and is one of the most ancient operas in China. As the name indicates, Hui Opera originated from Huizhou and the surrounding areas of Anqing, Taiping, Qingyang and Shitai in China’s central Anhui Province (famous travel destination for your China Educational tours). The opera first appeared in Anqing, Shipai, Congyang and Tongcheng in Anhui Province, and was based on the artistic foundation of Qingyang and Kunshan areas. The art form was gradually founded by assimilating the essence of various operas at the end of Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty.

In the Kangxi Reign of the Qing Dynasty, Hui Opera started a trend all over the county with its performers’ exquisite skills. In some economic centers of Southern China, rich businessmen even boasted their own private Hui Opera troupes and stages. Int eh midst of the Qianlong Reign of the Qing Dynasty, Hui Opera began to gain popularity in a number of other places in China. In 1790, Gao Langting, the master Dan player led the Sanqing Hui Opera to Beijing to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Emperor Qianlong. Some other Hui Opera troupes also performed in Beijing successively. During the Jiaqing Reign, the “Four Great Hui Opera Troupes” – namely, Sanqing, Sixi, Hechun and Chuntai – have been very influential in Beijing.

During the Daoqung Reign, Cheng Changgeng, known as the leader of Hui Opera as well as the founder of Peking Opera, embraced and incorporated and advantages of various art forms, and introduced the Erhang aria from Anqing, Anhui Province, which caused a sensation in Beijing (must-see destination for China Photo Tour). After blending and localizing for about 50 years, the great Peking Opera was born.