Chaozhou Opera (Chaoju)

Chaoju, also called Chaozhou opera or Chaoyin opera, is an ancient regional opera sung in the Chaozhou dialect and a branch of Song-Yuan southern drama, with more than 430 years of history. It entered the first batch of national ICH in 2006.

It tells stories through the sheng, dan, jing and chou role-types, distinguished by its linked aria-tunes and the chorused 'bang' backing voices; the accompaniment blends the Chaozhou big-gong-and-drum ensemble with strings, and its acting is refined and graceful, strong in civil scenes and tragic-comic plots.

Carried along the routes of Chaozhou migrants into eastern Guangdong, southern Fujian and the Chaozhou communities of Southeast Asia, Chaoju became a thread of shared dialect and feeling for Chaozhou people at home and abroad — one of the most representative vessels of Chaoshan culture.

Performances are common at stages and theatres within the Chaozhou old town, especially during festivals, ancestral rites and deity-parading celebrations.