Qiong Opera

Qiong opera is the only major regional theatre of Hainan, declared by Haikou and protected by the Haikou Mass Art Centre. It has borne many names: in the Qing it was called native opera or Hainan opera, around Qiongshan and Haikou simply zhai, and among overseas Chinese Qiongzhou opera or Qiong sound, before settling on Qiong opera, a shared stage memory of Hainan's people and its overseas diaspora. It is inscribed on the national ICH register.

Sung in the Hainan dialect with a rich vocal repertoire and full performance conventions, its plays draw on historical romances and folk tales, balancing acting with song and speech, its costumes and painted faces steeped in the colour of the island.

Qiong opera represents the theatrical culture of Hainan and serves as a cultural bond among Hainanese at home and abroad, holding real value for the study of dialect arts, folk theatre and overseas-Chinese culture.