Gaojia Opera

Gaojia opera evolved from folk processions in which people dressed as the heroes of Water Margin, maturing into a full opera around Quanzhou during the Ming and Qing.

Drawing on Nanyin and puppet-tune music, it has a complete set of role types but is best known for its comic clown roles, with exaggerated movement and humorous performance.

A widely influential southern-Fujian grand opera, it entered the first national ICH list in 2006, with the Ke-school clown art especially representative.

Gaojia troupes in Quanzhou, Jinjiang and Shishi perform frequently on town stages and at festivals.