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Ou opera

Ou opera
The Ou opera Killing the Dog in 2019
Native name	Ouju (瓯剧)
Etymology	After Ou River
Other names	Wenzhou luantan (温州乱弹), Yongjia luantan (永嘉乱弹)
Origin	Early Qing dynasty[1]
Major region	Area around Wenzhou and other parts of southwestern Zhejiang; parts of northern Fujian and northeastern Jiangxi
Topolect	Mainly Wenzhou-accented Mandarin Chinese, some Wenzhounese

Ouju
Traditional Chinese	甌劇
Simplified Chinese	瓯剧
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Ōu jù
Wenzhou luantan
Traditional Chinese	溫州亂彈
Simplified Chinese	温州乱弹
Literal meaning	Wenzhou mixed plucking
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Wēnzhōu luàntán
Yongjia luantan
Traditional Chinese	永嘉亂彈
Simplified Chinese	永嘉乱弹
Literal meaning	Yongjia mixed plucking
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Yǒngjiā luàntán

Ou opera (Chinese: 瓯剧; pinyin: Ōujù), originally known as Wenzhou luantan (Chinese: 温州乱弹) or Yongjia luantan (Chinese: 永嘉乱弹), is a regional form of Chinese opera from Yongjia County, Wenzhou in southeastern Zhejiang province.^[2] In addition to Wenzhou and parts of neighboring Lishui and Taizhou (all in Zhejiang), it is also influential in parts of northern Fujian and northeastern Jiangxi.^[3]

In 2008, it was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list.^[3]

History[edit]

Wenzhou was the birthplace of nanxi, a Chinese opera form of the 12th century. The earliest form of Ou opera, however, emerged only after the end of the Ming dynasty in the 17th century, when the singing stylesofgaoqiang (高腔) and kunqiang gained popularity in southern Zhejiang.^[1] The luantan style arrived later and was co-opted by locals in their performances along with gaoqiang and kunqiang. In the beginning, performances took place on temple stages only during special occasions such as the one-month Nuo religious festival, temple fairs, dragon boat racing in Ou River, weddings, harvests, or other celebrations. As demand increased throughout the region, several farmer-performers in Yongjia County became full-time performers. In the mid-Qing dynasty, they also performed Hui opera, tanhuang (灘簧, a precursor of Xi opera), and shidiao (時調).^[4] Because luantan proved the most popular vocal style, it dominated the form which gradually became known as Yongjia luantan or Wenzhou luantan.^[1]

References[edit]

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