With a flick of water sleeves and a shifting glance, the misty rains of Jiangnan seem to pour onto the stage.
TimesNewswire / March 27, 2026 – In front of the old theatre in Dongwang Village, authentic Yue tones resound in the local dialect; at the Shengzhou Yue Opera Art Center, classic works alternate with newly adapted pieces; at the Shengzhou Yue Opera School, a live scenic garden production of Dreaming Back to the Grand View Garden recreates Red Mansion scenes—Daiyu burying the flowers, Baoyu’s startled dream—inviting audiences to a time-bridging rendezvous…
This year marks the 120th anniversary of Yue opera. In Shengzhou, Zhejiang—the birthplace of Yue opera—there have been not only splendid events but also serious reflection on its inheritance and development. On March 27, masters of Yue opera gathered for a symposium commemorating the anniversary. Their main topic was not merely preserving the old repertoire, but also exploring new approaches.
The phrase “preserve the heritage while breaking new ground” has been repeatedly invoked.
Looking back to 1906, in front of the Xianghuo Hall in Dongwang Village, Shengzhou, storytellers such as Li Shiquan and Gao Binghuo built a makeshift straw stage from four rice bins and a door panel. A century later, Yue opera—thanks to its clear, graceful singing, delicate and poetic acting, and soft, lyrical style—has become one of China’s representative opera forms and has attracted many young fans.
How inclusive is Yue opera?
The word “inclusiveness” is written into Yue opera’s DNA.
The straw platform built from rice buckets in Dongwang Village in 1906 made no show of pomp; it served one purpose—to be understood and enjoyed by ordinary people—preserving a resilient and enduring cultural spirit.
(“Fule Shengzhou: Everyday Theater” People’s Grand Stage Event)
Shao Yuye, director of the Drama Arts Center of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, pinpointed the key at the symposium: “What has made Yue opera one of the nation’s most creative, vital and market-appealing genres is its consistent openness to diverse influences and its artistic spirit of upholding tradition while innovating.”
Throughout Yue opera’s development, every major leap has been an active response to the aesthetics of its era. From male troupes to all-female Yue opera and then mixed casts; from rural straw stages to urban theatres; from a corner of Jiangnan to national and even international stages—Yue opera has always been quick to absorb new ideas, concepts and practices. It has widely drawn on the artistic nourishment of Kunqu, spoken drama, film, song and dance, and embraced small-theatre works, cultural-tourism dramas, immersive theatre and other forms—taking in everything and making it its own.
(Exhibition Review of Outstanding Productions Commemorating the 120th Anniversary of Yue Opera)
Aesthetic-wise, Yue opera blends the Jiangnan region’s delicate grace and expressive, suggestive aesthetics into stage art, allowing classics such as The Romance of the Western Chamber, Lu You and Tang Wan, and the new version of The Butterfly Lovers to transcend time and move audiences across generations. Mao Weitao, vice-chairman of the China Theatre Association, chair of the Zhejiang Theatre Association, and honorary president of Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Theatre, cited Xiaobaihua as an example: “For 40 years, Xiaobaihua has adhered to preservation and innovation, carving out a distinctive development path and forming a unique ‘poetic Yue opera’ aesthetic, making ‘tour West Lake, drink Longjing, watch Xiaobaihua’ a shining cultural calling card for Zhejiang.”
Over 120 seasons, Yue opera has moved from rural straw stages into urban theatres and then from the stage onto television and the internet, continually updating its modes of expression with the currents of the times—demonstrating that traditional culture is not static but a living stream that grows, absorbs and renews.
Why have today’s young people fallen for Yue opera?
At the symposium, Chen Lijun, a first-rank performer of Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Theatre, said, “The era includes us; youth can make a difference.”
She acknowledged that her generation of Yue opera practitioners has arrived in an “extraordinary new era”—one in which policy supports innovative development of excellent traditional culture, society shows renewed fondness for heritage, and technology provides diverse forms and channels for transmission. “I know that being born at this time has enabled our achievements. I also know that only by facing tradition with deep reverence can we dare to create boldly.”
In 2025, Xiaobaihua’s original youth-oriented Yue opera My Grand View Garden became a breakout hit—an outcome of creative innovation within the repertoire. While preserving traditional Yin school vocal style and operatic technique, the creative team introduced innovative designs in music, scenography, multimedia and costume to craft an audiovisual dream rich in Eastern aesthetics, elegant Yue charm and youthful spirit.
Since its premiere, My Grand View Garden has drawn 100,000 theatregoers—more than 85% of them under 45—and has grossed over 70 million yuan, becoming the first Chinese opera production to average over one million yuan per performance. Through positive word-of-mouth and derivative creative sharing, the production has amassed exposure on internet platforms measured in the billions.
This is not Yue opera’s first “breakout.” A few years ago, the new-style, immersive Yue opera The New Dragon Inn drew millions of viewers on short-video livestreams and reached top trending positions across major social platforms. Originating in fields and village stages, Yue opera has long followed a populist path, presenting its unique charm in ways that appeal to broad audiences. Immersive staging blurs the line between stage and spectator; fresh subject matter surprises and delights; short-video marketing and cultural-creative products meet young people’s tastes. Young audiences, in turn, have come to love this form—buying tickets with real money and freely sharing performances on their phones.
This mutual embrace has kept the 120-year-old form perpetually youthful.
(Tribute Performance Commemorating the 120th Anniversary of Yue Opera)
Behind this youthful vitality is a complete talent-training system. In May last year, the Yue Opera College of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music was inaugurated in Shengzhou. Wang Rui, president of Zhejiang Conservatory, said, “Our joint effort with Shengzhou to establish the Yue Opera College represents a deep integration of artistic roots and higher education, and a resonance between cultural heritage and contemporary mission.” Going forward, the College will be developed into a hub for cultivating Yue opera talent, a major center for academic research, and a hall for artistic inheritance—revitalizing Yue opera in its hometown and making university–local collaboration a model for the preservation and development of traditional opera.
(Shengzhou Yue Opera Art School — Teaching/Instruction)
How far does Yue opera’s “circle of friends” reach if its costumes are sold overseas?
Yue opera’s crossover is more than an artistic phenomenon; it’s a renewal of the cultural ecosystem.
The traffic driven by the “new guofeng” trend is turning into lasting demand. The concentration of popularity and upgraded experiences has given rise to new industries centered on Yue opera. Young creators, inspired by “Yue opera +,” have opened themed cafés, costume rental shops, and cultural-creative experience spaces that have become social-media hot spots. Cultural products such as “mini costumes,” “mini phoenix crowns” from Huangze Town’s costume industry, and the young-male hat produced by Shengzhou’s cultural-tourism group are popular with visitors.
In the Yuedu Opera Props Workshop, workers skillfully lay out and cut fabrics for costumes; four or five embroidery machines run at high speed, and a vividly winged phoenix motif catches the eye. Founder Li Huaying, who has made opera costumes for 27 years, has clearly felt the market shift. “In the past, most orders came from troupes. Now many fans and enthusiasts buy costumes—customers come from across the country and from the U.S., Canada, Australia and elsewhere. Annual sales have already exceeded 4 million yuan.”
She told reporters that the “village Yue” season is about to begin this year and orders have increased noticeably. “Private custom orders are much more common now, often incorporating guochao (new national-style) elements—many people ask for costumes like those used in the Zhejiang Yue Opera Spring Gala. In just over three months we’ve filled sixty to seventy orders and been working overtime from about 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.”
In recent years, Shengzhou has steadily polished its golden brand as the “hometown of Yue opera.” Relying on a “Yue opera +” strategy, the city has built a full-chain industry that spans branded events, innovative venues, and expanded business formats. This innovation pathway—using Yue opera as a link between culture and consumption—is helping the “hometown of Yue opera” flourish on the road to shared prosperity.
At the same time, rapid iteration in new technologies such as artificial intelligence is constantly evolving artistic formats, styles, and ecosystems, bringing both opportunities and challenges for Yue opera. Earlier this year, multiple national ministries jointly issued the Three-Year Action Plan for the Revitalization of Traditional Chinese Theater (2026–2028) (the “Plan”), which has delivered a timely boost for Yue opera’s development. The Plan advocates empowering theatrical creation and dissemination with technology; it will effectively guide Yue opera to leverage cutting-edge tech and modern media, learn from and integrate with diverse art forms, and become more creative, vibrant, and capable of contemporary outreach.
At 120 years old, Yue opera is entering contemporary life with a youthful spirit. What we are witnessing is not only the resonance of a theatrical genre but the confidence and vitality of a national culture.