Huju Opera

Huju grew out of the "tanhuang" folk tunes of Shanghai and the Jiangnan countryside, evolving through earlier forms before settling on the name Huju in the 1930s–40s. It entered the first national ICH list in 2006 (item IV-54).

Performed in the Shanghai dialect with lyrical, flowing melodies, Huju often draws its stories from modern urban and family life—sometimes called "suit-and-qipao drama" for its closeness to the city's everyday world.

Huju is Shanghai's most representative local opera, carrying the city's modern dialect, everyday memories and the temperament of its distinctive urban culture.

Huju is performed mainly in Shanghai and parts of southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang, and can still be seen in the city's professional troupes and community opera events.