Shanghai Huai Opera Made a Successful Debut at NC State

      Performing for the first time in the United States, on March 28th, 2009 NCSU was honored with the premier of the Huai Opera Company of Shanghai performing the seldom-seen form of Chinese Opera from the Yangtze Delta region. This was a rare opportunity to see one of the world's cultural treasures--an art form that combines singing, story-telling, lavish costumes, and stunning acrobatics.

    Huai Opera is very popular in the areas of Shanghai, Nanjing and the northern part of Jiangsu Province, and is one of the principal local operas in Shanghai and Jiangsu. This regional Huai opera can be traced back to over 140 years ago. It originated in the northern Jiangsu villages and developed gradually from a form of story-telling and singing into an opera art (one kind of Chinese local opera). In the 18th Century, Huai opera of Anhui province was spread to the northern Jiangsu Yanfu region. The local artists co-performed with Anhui opera performers and had chances to learn and absorb the essence of Anhui Huai opera in the aspects of programs, instrumental accompaniment, music and performing, which, as a result, led to the improvement of their own performing form and gave birth to a very colorful Huai opera art filled with local tastes. In the mid-19th-century, calamities occurred in the northern Jiangsu villages and performances moved into Shanghai, Suzhou and Wuxi. Since its entry into towns and cities, Huai opera has enjoyed a large audience and made great progress both in performing and in music under the influence of other stage arts.

       Photos from the Huai Opera