#henan

Sichuan Opera 川剧 (Chuānjù)

The Sichuan Opera originates from 1700s Sichuan province, with 5 distinct styles. This is the opera famous for the quick mask change/face change, known as Bian Lian 变脸 (Biànliǎn) which you may have seen as there have been quite a few videos of this fascinating technique.

It is said that over 100 plays are performed in the Sichuan opera, with classic stories being particularly popular, some ranging all the way back to the Song dynasty. Currently both ancient and modern stories are performed, but the old stories still remain constant.

The Sichuan Opera has quite a unique music style, strong with a clear rhythm, and with the wind and percussion instruments being the most significant part of the music ensemble. Sichuan Opera is known for being the most similar to an actual play than any other Chinese Opera, being well-known for it's more free form and singing.

However, Sichuan Opera has 5 distinct styles:

1.Gaoqiang 高腔 (Gāoqiāng) This is the oldest form of Sichuan Opera, known for high-pitched singing and very little if no musical accompaniment, with just the drums, gongs and a clapper. The singing style is folk, with the Sichuan dialect and other local colloquial expressions.

2. Huqin 胡琴 (Húqín) This style became known during Qing dynasty, developing from the Hui and Han tunes, but it still has its own distinct features such as being performed using the Sichuan dialect. It's name is particularly interesting as Huqins name comes from the Huqin, a traditional Chinese instrument which also features in Sichuan Opera.

3. Danxi 弹戏 (Dàn xì) Danxi is actually a variation of Qingqiang, which was introduced later on after Qingqiang (More on this later!) first emerged in Sichuan. Danxi's origin story varies, but what is known is that the Shaanxi/Qingqiang opera slowly started to adopt Sichuan Opera's features and later on it combined with other Sichuan Opera styles to form Danxi. Danxi has two types of mysic, one of them being joy and happiness and the other being sadness and despair.

4. Kunqiang 昆腔 (Kūnqiāng) If the name sounds oddly familiar, you may remember the previously mentioned Kunqu opera, which like it's name, developed from the original Kunqu opera and slowly drifted over from Jiangsu to Sichuan during the Ming Dynasty. The musical style underwent some changes, such as adopting the local Sichuan dialect and combined other vocal styles such as Gaoqiang, Huqing into the now known Kunqiang style.

5. Dengdiao 灯调 (Dēngdiào) Dengdiao actually comes from the Lantern Festival, and incorporates the local Sichuan folk singing, dancing and customs. The music has a distinct rhythm and is quite short, with an upbeat vibe. The Huqin instrument is used in addition to string instruments as accompaniment.

Yu Opera 豫剧 (Yùjù)

The Yu Opera is said to have originated in the early Ming Dynasty, and later as it gained popularity it spread across the nation, with a strong presence in other regions such as Shandong, Hubei, Shanxi, Beijing and many other places. Despite the name, it's actually not confirmed as to whether the Yu opera is actually from Henan as there are many different and opposing theories. Nonetheless, it's still quite popular and has been included in China's national intangible cultural heritage.

Like many other opera types, the Yu opera also has the main roles of 生 (shēng), 旦 (dàn), 净 (Jìng), 丑 (chǒu) with their respective sub-types, and a noteable "四功五法" (Sì gōng wǔ fǎ) art form, translated as 4 Skills and 5 Methods. The skills include singing, reciting, acting, and fighting (dancing), with the 5 methods referring to the hand, eye, body, method, and step movements.

There are actually quite a few different Yu Opera genres with the main ones being:

陈派 / Chen School (Chénpài) - known for an elegant and smooth movement style and the 青衣 (Qīngyī) characters (virtuous female)

常派 / Chang School (Chángpài) - focuses on strong emotional performance and heroic characters such as Mulan

崔派 / Cui School (Cuīpài) - has a lighter and flowing tone, with a focus on elegance

马派 / Ma School (Mǎpài) - focuses on a calm and more mature style, with the main characters including 老旦 (Lǎodàn) and other more mature female characters

阎派 / Yan School (Yánpài) - includes dramatic and emotional styles with complicated characters

桑派 / Sang School (Sāngpài) - this is quite an interesting genre as it includes more sad and romantic performances in contrast to others

唐派 / Tang School (Tángpài) - in contrast, this genre has a more male focus, with many characters such as 老生 (Lǎoshēng) and other older male characters.