Cantonese Opera

Introduction

Bangzi and erhuang sung in Cantonese, across Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao and overseas

Cantonese opera, also called Guangdong 'big theatre', grew from the Yiyang, Kun and other outside tunes that reached Guangdong in the late Ming and early Qing and blended with local music. Foshan was the gathering place of troupes in the Qing; from the Daoguang and Xianfeng reigns its core music became bangzi and erhuang (banghuang), and around the 1911 Revolution its stage language changed from stage Mandarin to Cantonese. Its music also draws on high-pitched and Kun tunes and Guangdong folk and narrative song, its fighting follows the southern martial tradition and its costumes often use Guangdong embroidery. It is performed in Guangdong, southern Guangxi, Hong Kong and Macao, and by Cantonese-speaking communities worldwide.

Timeline

1. 1600OriginLate Ming–early Qing: Yiyang, Kun and other tunes reach Guangdong and blend with local music
2. 1750EvolutionQianlong reign: Foshan becomes the hub where troupes gather
3. 1889Evolution1889: the Pak Wo (Bahe) artists' guild is founded in Guangzhou; the stage language later shifts to Cantonese

Heritage Listings

1. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Chinafirst batch · traditional drama · Ⅳ-36
2. 2009UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity