Huangshan >> Huangmei Opera

Attraction Typ: Entertainment, Shows and Concerts

Location: City Centre - Central

Recommend: 3 Star

Huangmei Opera

Huangmei Opera, formerly known as "Huangmei Ditty", is a Chinese opera popular in Anhui, Jiangxi, and part of Hubei.

Huangmei Opera (Chinese: 黄梅戏; pinyin: Huángméi Xì), which was originally called "Huangmei tune" or "tea-picking opera", has a long history of more than 200 years and is one of the most famous traditional operas in China.

Huangmei Opera was formed in the 18th century, when Chinese local operas were flourishing. Originally it was a combination of local folk songs, dances and some widely spread ancient operas. Bordering on Anhui Province, Huangmei in Hubei is a count famous for its tea and tea-picking songs, from which Huangmei Opera got its original name, "tea-picking tunes" or "tea-picking opera".

It developed from folk tunes to short operas and complete dramas. Nowadays, the lively short operas, called "everyday shows", are still performed frequently. Even "big plays" are almost always about folk life. The performers manage to infuse simple humor into plays about the privileged, so that audiences see a down-to-earth way of life in all the 72 short plays and 36 full-length dramas that have accumulated.
The Huangmei Opera performers mainly came from farmers and workers. And the acting material was usually borrowed from the audiences. Huangmei Opera can be divided into coloratura and pingci. Coloratura stages small operas, and is full of the sense of folk music. Pingci is the main melody of reserved copy opera, which uses narration and lyrics to express its meanings.

Some excellent operas of Huangmei Opera include: The Heavenly Maid and the Mortal, Goddess' Marriage, and Emperor's Female Son-in-law.
The music of Huangmei Opera is essential attraction. Three kinds of music are used: coloratura, character songs and basic tunes. The 104 coloratura tunes are taken from folk songs, tea-picking songs and other ditties. A short opera usually has its own features, whose name is often the title of the piece, which may owe most of its popularity to the tune. The music of Huangmei Opera is light and lyrical, so a good performer must have facility in this style. Singing is not only the main approach to characterization but also makes Huangmei Opera distinctive stylistically and musically.

Huangmei Opera is easy to understand and learn while passion, natural and simple, is what makes Huangmei Opera an enduring drama appreciated by all.
Huangmei Opera earns its name both at home and abroad by its sweet melodies and lyrics, graceful sounds and movements, beautiful costumes and sets.