Baling Opera

Baling opera took shape and spread around Yueyang in north-east Hunan, taking its name from the city's old name Baling; it formed in the Ming dynasty and flourished under the Qianlong and Jiaqing emperors of the Qing. Its stage language, repertoire, vocal styles, music, acting and stage customs carry a great deal of Yueyang's history, making it an important branch of Hunan's major regional theatres. It entered the first national ICH list in 2006 (item IV-34) under traditional opera.

Baling opera is built on the Tan and Kun vocal systems, with a full set of role-types and strict conventions, balancing song, speech, acting and combat; its painted faces, costumes and plays are steeped in the colour of north-east Hunan, drawn largely from historical romances and folk legend.

Baling opera represents the theatrical culture of north-east Hunan and holds real value for studying how Hunan's regional vocal styles formed and evolved, and the culture of the Yueyang area.