Guilin Opera (Guiju)

Guilin opera took shape in the late Ming and early Qing as Huizhou and Han troupes entered Guangxi and blended with local dialect tones; it flourished in Guilin and northern Guangxi from the Qing through the Republican era.

Combining pihuang vocal styles with local inflection, Guilin opera encompasses singing, acting, recitation and acrobatics; its vocal style is soaring and vigorous yet also tender and nuanced, with a rigorous 'four skills, five methods' performance tradition.

Inscribed in 2006 on the first national ICH list (no. IV-41), Guilin opera is Guangxi's most representative regional theater form, preserving the cultural fusion of Han and ethnic-minority communities across Guilin's history.

The Guilin Art Theater is the main institutional bearer and performance venue; Guilin opera troupes are also active across northern Guangxi's towns and counties.