◎Our art category: Ping Opera

Ping Opera is one of the major operas in northern China. It was included in the first list of intangible cultural heritages released by the State Council on May 20, 2006. Ping Opera originated in Luanzhou (now Luanxian County and Luannan County of Tangshan) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and now has a history of more than 100 years. Based on a popular local art form “lotus rhyme” (there were already professional artists of lotus rhyme in 1890), Ping Opera has absorbed the raping, singing and acting of the Bengbeng Opera, and adopted some musical and performance forms of Hebei Bangzi, Luanzhou Shadow Puppet Play, Laoting Drum, and Peking Opera, to form a Pingqiang Bangzi Opera, which has the characteristics of the Banqiang-style drama. As one of the founders, Cheng Zhaocai, a Luanzhou native, played an important role in the formation of Ping Opera. He created a large number of plays, enriching the repertory of Ping Opera. Ping Opera has a great influence on the creation and performance of modern dramas. Ping operas like Nine-Tailed Fox and Little Son-in-law performed by Little Baiyushuang in the early days of liberation, and Liu Qiaoer and Peasant Takes a Wife performed by Xin Fengxia, were generally welcomed by the audience.(https://www.daowen.com)