Huaihai opera is one of the main local operas in Jiangsu Province. It is popular in Lianyungang, Huai’an, Suqian, Xuzhou and Yancheng. It has a history of more than 200 years until 2019.Huaihai opera has a variety of singing vocals, with differences between male and female.
In the late Qing Dynasty, the development of Chinese opera had a fundamental change.The rise of Anhui Group and the formation of Beijing Opera stimulated the production and development of local opera. Huaihai Opera grew under this circumstance. It forms “three plays” (Sheng, Dan, Chou) in the late Qing Dynasty. The formation of “three plays” can be regarded as the primary stage of Huaihai Opera. On June 14, 2008, Huaihai Opera was granted by the the Sate Council of China to be included in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.
Huaihai Opera has rooted in the people for a long time. It not only adapt to stage performance, but also can be performed on street and in village. It has various music for voices with rich local features, which is loved by the people. When walking, working, resting, people from the city or the village sing Huaihai Opera, which is an indispensable part in local culture and life. Its performance art has rich local flavor and abundant folk culture with unique values of art. It is easy to produce and create a program of Huaihai Opera, which is never limited by rules, but also reflects the modern life in reality and village, serves for our daily life, and is widely acknowledged by the people.
