In some economic centers of Southern China, rich businessmen even boasted their own private Hui Opera troupes and stages. In the Kangxi Reign of the Qing Dynasty, Hui Opera started a trend all over the country with its performer’s exquisite skills. Based on the artistic foundation of Qingyang and Kunshan arias, the art form was gradually founded by assimilating the essence of various operas at the end of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Hui Opera is one of the most ancient operas in China. Their performance gained much attention and concerns over Hui Opera. The troupe has staged many well-preserved works in the traditional repertory, including Flooding the Army, The Drunken Royal Concubine, and The Legend of the White Snake. The troupe was composed of 44 performers, including the National Class One performer Li Longbin. Last June, “Chinese Regional Opera Series” featured Hui Opera in Hong Kong. Part of the donation was allocated mainly to the protection and inheritance of Hui Opera.

Two years later, the BMW Group, contributed a donation of RMB 1 Million to the Protection Center of Intangible Cultural Heritage of China (PCICH), as part of the “Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritages Protection Fund”. Hui Opera was listed in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage in China in June, 2006. Hui Opera has experienced highs and lows in its history, but its abundant heritage and distinct national features allowed for its enduring artistic vitality. The costumes are simple and of good taste.

The stage art of Hui Opera is rich and varied, with spectacular stage sets. Particular emphasis is also placed on the highly formalized movements and stage design. It has established a complete artistic format with Chinese opera’s major components – the vocal style, the set tunes and the percussive scores which portray the psychological state of different characters. Hui opera is one of the oldest forms of theatre in China, with a history of more than 300 years. As the name indicates, Hui Opera originated from Huizhou and the surrounding areas of Anqing, Taiping, Qingyang and Shitai in China’s central Anhui Province. The long history of Chinese opera has given risen to numerous regional branches each of which is imprinted with the distinctive local culture of the region.

Chinese opera history