Chinese Yue Opera You Need to Know

Many Chinese learners may know that the most popular Chinese opera is the Pecking Opera. However, there are many other forms of opera popular in China. Today, we will introduce Yue Opera, which is the most popular form of Chinese opera after Pecking Opera. Yue opera or 越剧 in Chinese, is a form of Chinese opera founded around 1906 in Shengzhou, Zhejiang province. Since its birth, it is highly popular in Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu and its audiences are all over China.

Yue opera originates from the folks and ballad singing of rural area in Zhejiang. This special form of traditional Chinese folk art became popular in Shanghai in early 1930s. In its development, Yue opera learns from Western cultures, and draws experience of other developed Chinese opera forms such as Peking opera and Kunqu. After the foundation of People's Republic of China, Yueju opera reached a record popularity in late 1950s and early 1960s. However, during the Cultural Revolution, like other traditional Chinese art forms, Yueju performances were outlawed, which caused a serious setback in its development. Since the 1980s, Yueju became popular again, and till now it is highly welcomed by its wide audience.

Yueju opera features are elegant and soft, which made it suitable for telling love stories. But, like other forms of Chinese opera, its speaking or singing is so much slower than daily Chinese conversations. So, for those who want to learn conversational Chinese, Yue opera may serve as a good resource to practice speaking Chinese, while at the same time know about Chinese culture. Have you ever watched any form of Chinese Opera? Let me know your feelings towards it!