Hui Opera

Since 1949, with support from the Chinese government, Huangmei Opera has blossomed. Some of the famous actors and actresses of Huangmei Opera include Yan Fengying, Wang Shaofang and Pan Jingli.

The opera has also spread its fame both home and abroad with its sweet melodies and lyrics, graceful sounds and movements, and beautiful costumes and sets. Huangmei fans can be found not only on the Chinese mainland but also in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, and even Europe.

Huangmei Opera was derived from "Caicha Tune", the folk ditties people sang while picking tea.It is a combination of local folk songs, dances and some widespread ancient operas. Bordering on Anhui Province, Huangmei County in Hubei Province is famous for its tea and tea-picking songs; it is also where Huangmei Opera got its original name -- "Caicha Opera" ("tea-picking opera").

Before 1949, rivers and lakes in Anhui Province were often flooded and the displaced victims had to seek refuge in neighboring provinces. As a result, Huangmei Opera of Hubei Province was brought to Anhui by victims of flood and famine.The performers of Huangmei Opera infuse simple humor into all of the 72 short plays and 36 full-length dramas about the privileged life for a down-to-earth element.

Huangmei Opera, once called "Caicha Opera", is a local opera genre in Anhui Province. It is basically derived from the folk dancing and singing of Huangmei county known as Caicha. At first it was noted for two- and three-role dramas, but then under the influence of Qingyang and Hui styles it gradually became a theatrical form to present full-length works. Its tunes still keep the true flavor of folk songs, and singing while dancing also is a feature of its acting.

 

It mainly serves for enjoyment. In the past, there were only two persons acting antiphonal singing. However, song, dance and opera have been developed combined together later on. In nowadays, there are two people acting singing and dancing, people leading singing and dancing and a group of people singing and dancing together. The singing is more popular both in urban areas and countryside. Fengyang people often perform this art enthusiastically to celebrate their happy events or to welcome their guests. Modern skills have been absorbed into the art.

Fengyang Flower Drum is also called Double-struck Drum. It was originally performed by two sisters-in-law. One beat the drum; the other beat the gong and sang. The songs were about people's sad life in the past. Since the open and reform of China, the form and contents of this art have got a great development.

With its local flavor and more varieties, Fengyang Flower-drum is becoming more and more popular. In recent years, the troupes have performed both at home and abroad and won many prizes.

 

Huichi Tune was a combination of Huizhou Lilts and Qingyang Lilts. In the 55th year of Qianlong's reign (1790), Gao Langting, a well-known local actor led his Sanqing Huizhou Opera Troupe to Bei-jing, the capital in the Qing Dynasty, successively followed by other troupes such as Sixi, Chuntai and Hechun. They became the famous Four Huizhou Opera Troupes entering Beijing as often mentioned. The troupes aroused a sensation in the capital. Their performances were so widely loved by the townspeople of the capital that in every theatre Huizhou Opera was put on, and in every performance a Huizhou Troupe took a major part. After that, Cheng Changgeng, a native of Anqing and a descendant of Gao Langting, helped develop Huizhou Opera into Peking Opera by combining it with Han, Kun and other operas. So Huizhou Opera in a sense is an ancestor of Peking Opera.

As the name indicates, Huizhou Opera originated from Huichi Tune in Huizhou and the surrounding areas of Taiping, Qingyang and Shitai in the Ming Dynasty.It enjoyed a full development during Qianlong's reign and spread all over China during Daoguang's reign in the Qing Dynasty.

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