Opera echoes ancient times

The origins of Chinese Opera can be dated from the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty (1271- 1386), when primitive scripts in the form of stage operas began to emerge.

While some of them were originally written, the majority were actually adapted from the oral tradition of ancient Chinese mythology or fairy tales. The Cantonese Opera of today didn't come into existence until the following Ming Dynasty, or, more precisely, during the long reign of Emperor Jiajing (1522- 1566), when Cantonese Opera evolved into a concrete, mass- appeal art form in its own right.

Cantonese Opera - also known as Guangdong drama because it was the dominant form of opera found in the Guangdong region - is actually a blend of different operatic styles, the Yiyang and Kun tunes of the Ming Dynasty, the Xiqin and Han opera of the early Qing Dynasty, regional operas from the provinces of Jiangsu, Henan, Anhui, Hunan, Hebei and Guangxi, plus the traditional music and folk stories of Guangdong.

Over generations, Cantonese opera, like its equivalent throughout other regions in the mainland, established itself as a popular form of mass entertainment.

However, during the reign of Emperor Xianfeng (1851-61) an artist in Guangdong named Li Man-mao launched a revolt against the Qing government, which resulted in a wide-ranging ban on Cantonese operas.

In order to make a living, many troupes were forced to stage their performances under the cover of Beijing opera. The ban wasn't lifted until the more moderate Emperor Tongzhi (1862-1874) came to the throne.