Kun Opera / Kunqu Opera
Do you know which opera is the oldest? It’s Kun Opera. It is one of the oldest types of opera in China and is called the "Mother of a Hundred Operas". Now, Kun Opera has a history of over 600 years.
If you want to go to the theater to enjoy Kun Opera, Knowing its history can really enhance your enjoyment.
The History of Kun Opera
Kun Opera came from Kunshan in the late Yuan Dynasty.
In the late Yuan Dynasty, Gu Jian and others sorted out and improved the original tunes of the Southern Opera that were popular in the Kunshan area and named it "Kunshan Tune", which was the embryonic form of Kun Opera. At first, the spreading area of Kunshan Tune was limited to the Suzhou region. During the Ming Dynasty, it expanded from Suzhou as its center to the areas south of the Yangtze River and north of the Qiantang River. In the Qing Dynasty, as Emperor Kangxi was fond of Kun Opera, it became even more popular. Thus, Kunshan Tune became the most influential vocal opera genre from the middle of the Ming Dynasty to the middle of the Qing Dynasty.
During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the outstanding opera musician Wei Liangfu carried out reforms and innovations on the rhythms and singing methods of Kunshan Tune. He absorbed the merits of the flowing and far-reaching tunes of the Southern Opera and also incorporated the characteristics of the rigorous structure of the Northern Opera. At the same time, Wei Liangfu also reformed the instruments. Originally, the main accompanying instruments for the Southern Opera were the xiao (a vertical bamboo flute) and the guan (a wind instrument). In order to make the singing of Kun Opera more appealing, he gathered instruments such as the flute, the pipa and the Xianzi together to accompany the singing of Kun Opera, creating a soft "Water Mill Tune" and was commonly known as Kun Opera.
In the late Longqing period, Liang Chenyu, a native of Kunshan, conducted further research and reforms on Kunqu Opera. He wrote the first legendary play in Kun Opera, "The Story of Washing Gauze". The staging of this legendary play expanded the influence of Kun Opera, and the number of people learning Kunqu Opera was increasing day by day. As a result, Kun Opera was then jointly called one of the four major vocal operas in the Ming Dynasty along with the Yuyao Tune, the Haiyan Tune, and the Yiyang Tune.
By the late Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, due to the extensive performance activities of Kun Opera troupes, Kun Opera was introduced to Beijing and Hunan via Yangzhou and rose to the top among all the vocal operas, becoming the standard singing tune for legendary plays: "Songs from all directions must follow the Wu School".
Kun Opera really took off during the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, Kun Opera spread to Guizhou, Guangdong and other places and developed into a national opera genre. Originally, the singing of Kun Opera was based on the Wu dialect in Suzhou. However, after it spread to various places, it mixed with local dialects and folk music, making a rich and diverse Kun tune system and becoming a representative opera of the whole nation.
In the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, the Kun Opera had taken off and hit its stride. Nowadays, Kun Opera has been the big hit in the opera scene and has lasted for nearly six hundred years, making it the oldest existing opera style around, not just in China but globally.
Chinese Operas 
Beijing Opera 
Pingju Opera 
Sichuan Opera