The Brilliance of Yue Opera

Yue Opera first emerged in 1906 in Shengzhou county in the province of Zhejiang. In the beginning, the performance and music were simple and straightforward. 

From 1917 on, Yue Opera found its way to Shanghai and many performances were staged there. Influences from various genres, such as Shaoxing Opera, Beijing Opera, drama and film, helped Yue Opera gradually develop and flourish.

Today, Yue Opera has become one of the most influential and popular opera forms in China, with especially large audiences in Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian and other southern regions.

Shanghai Yue Opera House (SYOH) was established in March 1955, with Ms. YUAN Xuefen as its first director. The SYOH has adapted and arranged over 400 traditional plays and classic stories, including “Butterfly Lovers”, “Romance of the West Chamber”, “A Dream of Red Mansions” and “Sister Xiang Lin” (adapted from LU Xun’s novel “Blessings”).

The video below shows a few excerpts from classical pieces that the SYOH has performed. Enjoy!

A Dream of Red Mansions
“A Dream of Red Mansions”, also known as “Dream of the Red Chamber”, is one of the four classics of Yue Opera. It has long been a part of the repertoire of the SYOH and many different versions have been performed over the years. Here, we are sharing one of those performances. The video first introduces the story, so you can better appreciate this captivating production!

Butterfly Lovers
“Butterfly Lovers” is one of China’s great folktales. This legend is about the tragic love between LIANG Shanbo and ZHU Yingtai. Curious about the story? Watch the video below! It includes a synopsis before diving into the Yue Opera performance of “Butterfly Lovers”.