Where is the birthplace of Huangmei Opera?

Huangmei Opera originated in Huangmei, Hubei Province. Huangmei Opera, together with Beijing Opera, Yue Opera, Pingju Opera and Henan Opera, is called "the five major operas in China" and is also the main local opera in Anhui Province. Huangmei Opera is famous for its simple and smooth singing, lively and lyrical expression, rich expressive force, simple and meticulous performance and liveliness. A fairy tale made Huangmei Opera popular all over the country and enjoyed a high reputation overseas.

The Origin of Huangmei Opera

The origin of Huangmei Opera can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty. According to historical records, as early as the Tang Dynasty, Huangmei tea-picking songs were very popular. With the development of folk songs in Song Dynasty and the influence of drama in Yuan Dynasty, folk operas gradually took shape. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the opera style in Huangmei County was more prosperous.

Huangmei County, located on the north bank of the Yangtze River, has the saying that "people live in the middle of the river", and natural disasters are frequent, and floods are more prominent. Frequent disasters forced Huangmei people to learn to sing Huangmei Opera one after another to meet the needs of escaping from water shortage and begging for survival in disaster years. This greatly promoted the development of Huangmei Opera from mountainous areas to rivers and lakes plain areas, and radiated to the adjacent areas of Hubei, Jiangxi and Anhui.

In 1950s, Anhui Huangmei Opera Troupe adapted Huangmei Opera "Yong Dong" into a fairy tale and put it on the screen. Since then, Huangmei Opera has become one of the "five major operas" in China.