Peking opera is one of the operas and a traditional Chinese classical opera. With its center in Beijing, Peking opera is the most influential local Chinese opera that has spread throughout the country. Although named Peking Opera, it was originally developed in southern China.

Origin

Peking Opera started during the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty, and its predecessor was the opera troupe ( Anhui opera troupe in China). At that time, with the development of social economy and the rise of traditional Chinese opera Kun Opera, literati and wealthy merchants from across the country set up their own theater troupes. Anhui merchants, who had already gotten a firm foothold in business, followed suit. The troupe of Anhui merchants is called "Hui Troupe". One of the most famous is the " Shipai Tune" of Huaining County, Anqing City, Anhui Province.

Shipai Town is a small ancient town in Huaining County, Anqing City, Anhui Province, China. During the Qing Dynasty, apart from the locals, most of the people there were the crews and merchants. With the material affluence, people began to value the affluence of the soul. The folk culture of the town was also gradually developed.

At that time, there were 800 opera houses in Shipai Town. Many famous Peking Opera performers were from this area, such as Hao Tianxiu, Cheng Changgeng and Yang Yuelou. Many people will notice that many pronunciations of Peking Opera are different from the local accent of Beijing. However, if you listen to the dialects of the Anqing area, you will find that these pronunciations are exactly the same as those of the Anqing area.

In the early years of the Republic of China, there was a large opera house in Anqing. Most of the famous Peking Opera actors from all over China once performed there at that time. Anqing is considered to be the birthplace of Peking Opera. The actors stood on the stage with a feeling of "worshiping the Holy Land".

After that, the opera, which was born in Shipai ancient town of Anqing, spread from the town to Beijing. The glorious history of the "Four troupes heading to Beijing” is still the pride of Shipai.

Four Troupes Heading to Beijing

In the fall of 1790, to celebrate the 80th birthday of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, Jiang Heting (from Anhui Province), a salt merchant in Yangzhou, established a Hui opera troupe called the "Sanqing Troupe" in Anqing, Anhui Province. And actor Gao Langning led the troupe to Beijing. The Sanqing troupe mainly performed in the Lianghuang Tone, but sometimes also performed Kun Opera (a kind of traditional opera that uses Kun Tune), Chui Opera (a style of local opera in Anhui Province) and Shaanxi Opera.

The scale of the festive production was extremely magnificent, and excellent plays from all over China were gathered. Stages were set up every dozens of steps from the Xihuamen to the Takaryo Bridge of Xizhimenwai at that time. In this art competition, the "Sanqing Troupe", who first set foot in Beijing, attracted attention. The actor Gao Langting of the "Sanqing Troupe" was from Anqing, Anhui Province, and was only 16 years old at that time. Mr. Gao was good at Lianghuang Tune, and his songs and performances were warmly welcomed in Beijing.

Following the "Sanqing Troupe", opera troupes such as the "Sixi Troupe", "Hechun Troupe", and "Chuntai Troupe" also entered Beijing and settled in Beijing. They were called the "Four Greatest Troupes" in Beijing. After that, the four major troupes gradually took a leading position in Beijing's opera industry. Each of these four troupes has its own merits, and its entry into Beijing marked the beginning of the brilliant development history of Chinese Peking Opera.

The fusion of Hui Opera and Han Opera

As mentioned above, Peking Opera is a type of opera that originally developed from the Hui troupes that play the Chui Opera (a tune of the local opera in Anhui Province) and the Lianghuang Tune, which are popular in the southern regions of China. In fact, in the process of its development, Peking Opera has adopted many local plays. Therefore, it can be said that Peking Opera is formed by gathering various local plays among China and fusing them with each other. The most famous of these is the fusion of the Hui Opera and Han Opera.

Han Opera is a general term for local operas in central China and Hubei province. Peking Opera consists of two tones, Xipi and Erhuang. According to the conventional theory, "Nishihide" is derived from Han Opera. Prior to entering Beijing, Hui Opera and Han Opera had already had a wide range of artistic exchanges. During the Daoguang Emperor era of the Qing dynasty, actors of Han Opera entered Beijing one after another and began performing as a member of the Hui Troupe. This once again promoted the exchange between "Xipi" and "Erhuang".　Due to the fusion with different operas such as Han Opera, the tone of the Hui Opera was becoming more and more complete. And the singing style and chanting were also added to the characteristics of the Beijing region, making it easier for the locals in Beijing to accept.

Also, after the Hui Opera entered Beijing, actors of other operas in Beijing could not compete with it, and most of them turned to the enter it. This also encouraged interaction between the Hui Opera and other local plays. The most representative of these is the Shaanxi Opera. As time went by, the Hui Opera became an opera that various local plays were gathered.

Maturity and prosperity

Since 1883, Peking Opera has matured as a play unique to Beijing. During the periods of Emperor Tongzhi and Emperor Guangxu, there are 13 famous actors named Hao Lantian, Zhang shengkui, Mei Qiaoling, Liu gansan, Yu Zixiao, Cheng Changgeng, Xu xiaoxiang, Shi Xiaofu, Yang Mingyu, Lu Shengkui, Zhu Lianfen, Tan Xinpei, Yang Yuelou. During the heyday of Peking Opera, they were called "The Best Thirteen Opera Actors during Periods of Emperor Tongzhi and Emperor Guangxu ".

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, four actors, Mei Lanfang, Cheng Yanqiu, Shang Xiaoyun, and Xun Huisheng, who were called "Four Great Famous Female Actors ", were inspired by the theater that adopted modern theater in Shanghai. The Peking Opera has been further refined. These four people revolutionized Peking Opera enough to create their own school. In addition, Mei Lanfang performed the first overseas performance of Peking Opera in Japan.

Today's Peking Opera

After that, Peking Opera came to be called "National Opera" as a traditional Chinese culture. On November 16, 2010, China's application for registration of Peking Opera as an intangible cultural heritage was deliberated and approved, and Peking Opera succeeded in the application of an intangible cultural heritage.