Yangzhou Opera

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Yangju Opera

Applicant: Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province

Project No.: 200

Project No.: Ⅳ - 56

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: Traditional Drama

Region: Jiangsu Province

Type: Extension Project

Applicant: Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province

Protection unit: Zhenjiang Art Theater

About Yangju Opera:

Applicant: Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province

Yangzhou opera, formerly known as "Weiyang opera" and commonly known as "Yangzhou opera", is popular in Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province and parts of Anhui Province. In addition, it is also performed in Shanghai. Yangzhou opera is based on Yangzhou folk song and dance drama Huagu opera and Xianghuo opera played by witches in Northern Jiangsu folk God worship competition, absorbing Yangzhou Qingqu and local folk songs, and gradually forming an independent drama. At the beginning of the 20th century, it entered Shanghai, Hangzhou and other big cities. In the 1950s and 1960s, Yangzhou opera tended to be prosperous. The performances of Yangzhou opera in Zhenjiang, Nanjing and Yangzhou were popular for a while, forming a tripartite situation.

The singing music of Yangzhou opera belongs to Qupai style, which is mainly composed of Huagu opera music, Xianghuo opera music, Yangzhou Qingqu and Xiaochang. Its accompaniment bands are different from those in the martial arts. In the martial arts, bangu, Daguo, Xiaogong, cymbals, Tanggu and other percussion instruments are mainly used.

Although the roles of Yang opera can be divided into Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou, the differences are not strict. The actors have a wide range of acting styles, and only male and female tunes are used in singing. The performances of various trades mostly draw lessons from Kun Opera and Beijing opera, but they always keep the simple and lively characteristics of Huagu opera, with a strong flavor of life. There are more than 400 kinds of traditional Yang Opera repertoire, among which the most influential ones are jade dragonfly, Pearl Tower, land trial, xiufuyuan, Wang Zhaojun, lantern making, three plays of white peony, mingfuyan, woodcutter and painted girl, hongyanzhuanshu, baishuishuai, etc.

In the past ten years, due to the impact of modern multi-cultural society, people's aesthetic concepts have changed, resulting in the reduction of audience, shrinking performance market and difficult survival. In this situation, it is necessary to formulate measures to strengthen the protection and support of Yangzhou opera.