Chinese Opera_ Chinese Dance & Voice Art _ China Traditional Music

Hear the Chinese Zither, Traditional Chinese Musical Instrument The Chinese Zither is a plucked-string musical instrument with over 2400 years of history. Ancient Chinese literati considered the Zither as a prerequisite for their cultivation. The beautiful melodies helped to maintain peace and balance of the mind. Structure The measurement line of Chinese Z... Read more>>
Peking Opera, China's national opera With a 200-year-long history, the Peking Opera is regarded as China's national opera which owns its fascinating music, singing and costumes. Peking Opera’s main melodies originated from Xipi and Erhuang in Anhui and Hubei respectively and, over time, techniques from many other local operas were in... Read more>>
Nuo Opera, behind the masks Originating in the Shang and Zhou dynasties (c. 16th century-256 BC) in China's Central Plain area, Nuo Opera was an old Chinese opera rooted in totem worship and drew references from Taoism. In the ages when humans had little understanding of nature, Nuo was once the most powerful and respected ... Read more>>
Chinese Traditional Musical Instruments Traditional Chinese musical instruments can be divided into four categories, stringed instruments, percussion instruments, plucked instruments and wind instruments. All of the instruments possess different tones and played for different types of music. Horse-Headed Fiddle The Horse-headed fiddle ... Read more>>
The Development of Chinese Music Based on the discovery of a bone flute made in the Neolithic Age, traditional Chinese music can be traced back to 7000 to 8000 years ago. In the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, only royal families and dignitary officials enjoyed music, which was made on chimes and bells. During the Tang Dynasty (6... Read more>>
Suzhou Pingtan, Folk Art of Storytelling and Singing Flourishing in Suzhou of east China’s Jiangsu Province, Suzhou Pingtan is a folk art denoting Suzhou Pinghua and Tanci, which is storytelling and ballad singing in Suzhou dialect. Pingtan has absorbed popular folk tunes in its development, thus it has a great diversity of styles in singing and sto... Read more>>
Chinese Shadow Puppetry More than 2000 years ago, a favorite concubine of Wu Emperor of the Han Dynasty died of illness; the emperor missed her so much that he lost his desire to reign. One day, a minister happened to see children playing with dolls where the shadows on the floor were vivid. Inspired by this scene, the mi... Read more>>
Songs of Chuanjiang Haozi Originated in southwest China’s Chongqing City and eastern Sichuan Province, the Songs of Chuanjiang Haozi are the songs boatmen used to unify their rowing rhythm. The Songs of Chuanjiang Haozi were inspired by the environment around the singers, such as mountains and rivers. It generally has a le... Read more>>
Hand-Waving Dance of Tujia Ethnic Group The Hand-Waving Dance is a dance used in sacrificial rituals and is common especially in western Hunan Province. With a history of over 500 years, it is a traditional collective performance of the Tujia people. The Hand-Waving Dance expresses the origin, religion, immigration, historic events, life... Read more>>
Chime Bell, Sound of Music Thousands of Years Ago Cast with bronze, chime bell is a percussion instrument in ancient China. It consists of oval bells in different sizes arranged to the order of the pitch hanging on a huge bell cot. Different tones can be produced when beating the bells with a wood hammer and a long stick. Beautiful music can be pe... Read more>>

Music, Dance & Opera