Yangzhou Opera is a local traditional opera in Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province and one of the state designated intangible cultural heritage.
Originally named as Weiyang Drama, it is called as Yangzhou Opera and has been popular in the area of Yangzhou, Zhenjiang in Jiangsu Province, partial areas in Anhui Province and Nanjing, Shanghai.
Based on Yangzhou folk song and dance playlet, the flower drum opera, it has come into shape finally by absorbing Yangzhou voiceless singing and local folk ditties.
With a long history and rich heritage, Yangzhou Opera is not only a significant part of Yangzhou traditional culture, but also has played a special role in China’s local opera development history. It has multiple music songs, includes the roles as the elderly male character, the female lead heroine, the painted face and the clown etc., and highlights the performance of the clown and the female lead heroine, forming a basic comedy style.
There are more than 400 hundred of traditional plays for Yangzhou Opera, and those have produced greater influences are Jade Dragonfly, Pearl Tower, Wang Zhaojun, Story of Playing Lanterns, Play Three Tricks on White Peony, The Woodcutter and The Painting Lady, A Letter from Afar and Take Command at the Hundred Years Old etc.
With very rich ideological implication, Yangzhou Opera has higher appreciation value and aesthetic nature, can communicate particularly regional culture concept and aesthetic fashion, has historical and cultural cognition and research value, so it is very valuable treasure of Chinese opera culture treasure-house.
