Ou opera (), originally known as Wenzhou luantan () or Yongjia luantan (), is a regional form of

Chinese opera Traditional Chinese opera (), or ''Xiqu'', is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more tha ...

from

Yongjia County Yongjia County (; Wenzhou dialect: yon2ko1/ yu3 ''ion ko'') is a county in Wenzhou in the southeast of Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China, located north of the city proper of Wenzhou city, which administers the county. The Nanxi River ...

Wenzhou Wenzhou; Chinese postal romanization, historically known as Wenchow is a prefecture-level city in China's Zhejiang province. Wenzhou is located at the extreme southeast of Zhejiang, bordering Lishui, Zhejiang, Lishui to the west, Taizhou, Zheji ...

in southeastern

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

province. In addition to Wenzhou and parts of neighboring Lishui and Taizhou (all in Zhejiang), it is also influential in parts of northern

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

and northeastern

Jiangxi ; Gan: ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = , translit_lang1_type3 = , translit_lang1_info3 = , image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_caption = Location ...

. In 2008, it was included in the national

intangible cultural heritage An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. In ...

list.

History

was the birthplace of '' nanxi'', a Chinese opera form of the 12th century. The earliest form of Ou opera, however, emerged only after the end of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

in the 17th century, when the singing styles of ''gaoqiang'' (高腔) and '' kunqiang'' gained popularity in southern

. The ''luantan'' style arrived later and was co-opted by locals in their performances along with ''gaoqiang'' and ''kunqiang''. In the beginning, performances took place on temple stages only during special occasions such as the one-month Nuo religious festival, temple fairs,

dragon boat A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family of t ...

racing in Ou River, weddings, harvests, or other celebrations. As demand increased throughout the region, several farmer-performers in

became full-time performers. In the mid-

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

, they also performed Hui opera, ''tanhuang'' (灘簧, a precursor of Xi opera), and ''shidiao'' (時調). Because ''luantan'' proved the most popular vocal style, it dominated the form which gradually became known as Yongjia luantan or Wenzhou luantan.

References

Chinese opera Culture in Wenzhou {{Chinese opera